A Writer Reminiscent about Evergreen Tree

There’s an old saying that the constancy of pine trees is revealed only after a cold winter ends. It praises evergreens that remain unchanged in the face of freezing snowstorms and winds throughout winter when other trees are left with only bare branches after shedding their leaves.

Today we bring you a Korean historical figure representing an everlasting spirit like evergreens, which is highly valued by Korean people. Sim Hun, a novelist, poet and film professional, lived for only 35 years, but his short life was filled with patriotism and the “evergreen spirit.”


Sim was More Like a Film Professional than a Poet or Novelist

Sim Hun was born in Seoul on September 12th, 1901. His real name was Sim Dae-seop, and his used his name Sim Hun after 1920.

In 1915, he entered the Gyeongseong Ordinary School, which is now Gyeonggi High School. When he was in his third year at the school in 1919, he was arrested by police due to his participation in the March 1st Independence Movement against the Japanese colonial rule of Korea.

Imprisoned for four months, he was expelled from school and went to Hangzhou, China. He studied literature at the Zhejiang University there in 1921. After returning to Korea, Sim went to work for the Dong-a Ilbo newspaper in 1924 as a reporter, and he also write poems and novels.

Sim first distinguished himself in the movie scene. He starred as a male protagonist in the film [Jang Han Mong] in 1925. In fact, he performed the role in place of a leading actor who dropped out of the film project. But due to his acquaintance with the film director and his appearance, his acting proved good enough to play that role. Sim began to show more interest in movies, and he published a serial [Mask Dance] in Dong-a Ilbo in 1926. It was the first Korean novel to be made into a movie. The following year, a movie entitled [At Dawn], which was written, adapted and directed by Sim, became a big hit. The film describes the depressing reality of Korea under Japanese colonial rule.

Discouraged by the poor environment of the local film scene and censorship by the Japanese Government General of Korea, Sim shifted his attention to literature again. At the time, it was very common that Japanese novels were adapted into movies. But the film [At Dawn] written by Sim himself got favorable reviews, which apparently inspired his passion for creativity.


Literary Pieces Enlightening Korean People

Sim wrote his first long novel [The Lover from the East] in sequence in the Chosun Ilbo newspaper in 1930. But the series, portraying young people struggling for a revolution in Korea, was interrupted due to Japan’s censorship.

In the same year, however, he released [When that Day Comes], which is recognized as one of the representative ‘resistance poems’ in the world, to express his strong yearning for Korea’s independence.

Sim buried himself in his writing despite Japan’s censorship and oppression and published such novels as [Phoenix], [An Eternal Smile] and [Vega] one after another. Particularly notable is his 1935 novel [The Evergreen Tree], which was the winner of a prize contest offered by Dong-a Ilbo. Referring to the V Narod Movement, which means ‘going to the people’ in Russian and prevailed at the time, the novel arouses national consciousness and the spirit of resistance by portraying rural development projects carried out by young people. As such, Sim stressed the need for Korea’s independence and envisioned hope for the future under the harsh colonial rule of Japan.

When Korean marathoner Sohn Gi-jeong won the gold medal at the 11th Olympics in Berlin on August 9th, 1936, Sim felt moved to write an improvised poem [Oh, Joseon’s Son]. That was the last work of the prolific writer, as he died of typhoid fever on September 16th, 1936.

Sim never gave up resisting Imperial Japan, devoting himself to writing throughout his life. He tried his best to fulfill his duty as a writer. He left his burning love for his country in [The Evergreen Tree], which was planted in the minds of Korean people for good.

(That wraps up today’s Koreans in History. Thank you for listening. I’m Kim Bum Soo. Goodbye, everyone.)