A memorial exhibition for Korea’s first Culture Minister Lee O-young is held at the National Library of Korea. (National Library of Korea)
A special exhibition in memory of Korea’s first Culture Minister Lee O-young is being held at the National Library of Korea from Saturday through April 23.
To commemorate one of the foremost intellectuals of his time, some 150 people, including current Culture Minister Park Bo-gyoon and Lee’s wife Kang In-sook, attended the opening ceremony of the exhibition on Friday.
“Thank you for remembering (Lee) even after one year has passed," said Kang.
Kang serves as the director of the Young-in Museum of Literature, which she co-established with Lee.
More than 180 books by Lee, manuscripts, pens and pencils and his personal collections are displayed in hoops inspired by the 1988 Seoul Olympics opening ceremony, which Lee directed.
Also on display is a re-creation of his study with the actual desk and chair he used while writing the manuscript for “A Drop of Tears,” his last book.
A memorial exhibition for Korea’s first Culture Minister Lee O-young is held at the National Library of Korea. (National Library of Korea)
A memorial exhibition for Korea’s first Culture Minister Lee O-young is held at the National Library of Korea. (National Library of Korea)
Lee passed away on Feb. 26, 2022, at the age of 89 after a long battle with liver cancer, which he was diagnosed with in 2017. He is known to have refused treatment and continued writing.
Born in 1933, Lee made a sensational debut in the literary circle at the age of 23 in 1956 with an article titled “Destruction of an Idol," published in the Hankook Ilbo newspaper, while a student at Seoul National University's Korean language and literature department. After graduation, Lee worked as an editorial writer for several newspapers. In 1966, he also began as a professor at Ewha Womans University, where he taught until 1989.
Serving as the country’s first culture minister from 1990 to 1991 under the Roh Tae-woo administration, Lee focused on creating the foundation for developing the country’s cultural policy. His major projects included establishing the National Institute of Korean Language and the Korea National University of Arts, which has produced many of the country's outstanding artists in the international scene.
A memorial ceremony hosted by Lee's bereaved family was held at the at the National Library of Korea, Friday. (Yonhap)
Ahead of the opening ceremony for the exhibit, a memorial ceremony hosted by the bereaved family was held at the library on Friday morning.
After a minute of silence, Kim Jong-gyu, chief director of the National Trust for Cultural Heritage, and Lee Keun-bae, former president of the National Academy of Arts, delivered eulogies.
A video made by Lee’s eldest son, Lee Seung-moo, who is a filmmaker and professor at the Korea National University of Arts, was played in memory of his father.
About 180 people attended the ceremony.
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