Poet Yi Howoo was committed to the reinterpretation of the sijo (traditional three-verse Korean poem) of the 1920s that focused on sensuality and the oriental ideology of the futility of life. In the late 1930s, he adopted the “will to live” as his main ideology, pioneering abstract romanticism and taking a critical role in the history of sijo. He rejected the decadent emotions and sentiments of the past and did not hide behind the veil of nature or accept the principle of “art for the sake of art.” He was able to express his most in-depth thoughts without damaging the chang (songs) or phrases that form the main essence of sijo.

In his works, Yi Howoo did not try to realize Korea’s unique aesthetics or lifestyle through the changing of the seasons (which was common in other works), nor did he try to artificially convey national emotions by using scenic historical sites as his subject matter. He was renowned for having reached a level of sijo literature that was not achieved by previous poets, many of whom produced works expressing repentance or that used many interjections.

The monument honoring Yi Howoo was constructed with funds from the Youngnam Literary Society and the literary community

• 1912: Born in Cheongdo, North Gyeongsando Province
• 1924: Entered Je-il High School in Gyeongseong
• 1928: Returned home due to an illness
• 1934: Married Sun Nam
• 1939: His work, “Fallen Leaves” (Nagyeop) won an award
• 1940: Made his official debut as a poet when “Moonlight Night” was published in Munjang magazine
• 1952: Acted as head of the culture desk and editorial writer of Daegu Ilbo
• 1955: His work, “Collected Sijo Works of Lee Howoo” named the winner of the Gyeongbuk Literary Prize
• 1956: Acted as the managing editor and editorial writer of the Daegu Maeil Shinmun (for two years)
• 1968: Publication of “Falling of the rain and blowing of the wind” jointly written with his sister
• 1970: Died

[Yi Howoo’s poem “Flowering” engraved on the monument in Apsan Park]

The flowers are blooming petal by petal
A sky is opening
And at last, the final petal
Shivers at a critical moment
Even the winds and rays wait with abated breath
And I close my eyes from the pain.