Poems of Mr. Lee Young-ha (South Korea)

Poet and former Ambassador Mr. Lee Young-ha is a literary figure who made his literary debut in 2010 through Literary Spring and Autumn (Munye Chunchu) and currently serves as an editor of the same magazine. He has been actively dedicated to promoting peace and reunification through literature, as well as fostering international literary exchange, serving as Vice President of the Korean Association of Unification Writers, a member of PEN Korea, a member of the Gyeonggi Poets’ Association, and an executive committee member of the Gyeonggi PEN Regional Committee.

A graduate of the Air Force Academy, he is a former combat pilot and a retired Lieutenant General of the Republic of Korea Air Force, with approximately 2,300 flight hours. He served as Vice Chief of Staff of the Air Force, contributing to the advancement of air force strategy and policy, and played a significant role in strengthening national defense and developing the Air Force through distinguished leadership in airspace defense and command positions.

After retiring from military service, he was appointed Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Korea to Lebanon, representing his country on the international diplomatic stage. In recognition of his distinguished service and contributions, he was awarded the Lebanese National Order of Merit by the Lebanese government. Drawing upon profound reflections accumulated through decades of military and diplomatic experience, he has continuously explored in his literary works such themes as human dignity, humanitarian values, division, reconciliation, and peace.

In recognition of his literary achievements, he has received numerous prestigious awards, including the First Unification Aspiration Literary Award, the Hwang Hui Prime Minister Literary and Arts Award, the Grand Prize of the Goryeo Literary Award along with an Honorary Doctorate of Literature, the Gyeonggi PEN Literary Award (Work Award), the Special Creative Award of the Korean Literature Award, the Special Work Award of the Han Yong-un Literary Award, the Yun Dong-ju Star Literary Award, and the Literary Award commemorating the 50th Anniversary of Diplomatic Relations between Korea and Singapore.

He currently serves as the 10th President of the Korean Association of World Literature, where he is dedicated to promoting exchange, cooperation, and mutual understanding between Korean literature and world literature.

High Tide and Low Tide

Lee Young-ha

The high tide approaches slowly,

gently embracing the sand along the shore.

The waves come quietly, as if whispering,

telling stories hidden in the crevices of the rocks,

and the darkened sea reveals its depth,

preparing for a new encounter with the world.

The low tide withdraws back into the sea,

revealing the land it had kept concealed.

Footprints left upon the sand,

the traces remaining where the water has swept through,

are preserved as something precious,

like the marks left by a human life.

By retreating, the low tide makes space

for the high tide to return once more.

Thus the world moves by pushing and pulling,

respecting each other’s place.

The high tide fills, the low tide empties,

and within this we learn the lesson of endless cycles.

The sea’s dance, repeated again and again

upon the same stage,

breathes with the unceasing rhythm of life.

In the quiet harmony shaped by high tide and low tide,

at the point where the two intersect,

we come to understand:

One must be full in order to be emptied,

and emptied in order to be filled again.

When sky, sea, and land are woven into a single melody

and keep time with the tides,

we behold within it

the beautiful truth of life.

A Letter Written on the Han River

Lee Young-ha

The river carries within its currents

the sorrow of a divided land, the endless nights of war, and the dawn of peace.

As the South Han River longs for the North,

the North Han River inclines its body toward the South.

Though they flow as separate streams,

they are destined, in the end, to meet within a single river.

Whenever the lights of Seoul shimmer,

the river asks:

"Have you still not lost your dream?"

Today, once again, I stand by the river,

rewriting the ideals that were once lost.

A single word entrusted to the current—

that is my prayer.

The Han River flows in quiet dignity,

renewing the heart of this nation.

It is not water alone that flows,

but the everlasting tide of hope.

The Song of Hunminjeongeum, Inscribed upon the Wind

 Lee Young-ha

When the wind first breathed letters into the world,

the lips of the people touched the language of the heavens.

Love dwelt within every sound,

and tears lingered in every written sign.

When a people, silenced by darkness,

found their voices once again,

the tip of King Sejong's brush

became the breath of the stars.

It was a miracle

that even the poor could cradle

a single line of poetry in their hands.

That miracle was Hunminjeongeum.

Today, with those letters,

we write of love

and give voice to freedom.

Though the years may pass,

the wind never forgets

that the words of a people

are the very light of their souls.

The song the wind first carried that day

still lives within our hearts,

spoken in love,

inscribed in the script of the heavens.