Kim Ji-ha (4 February 1941 – 8 May 2022) was a South Korean poet and playwright.
1. Life
Kim Ji-ha was born Kim Yeong-il on 4 February, 1941, in Mokpo, Jeollanam-do. As a university student, Kim took part in the April Revolution demonstrations that toppled the regime of South Korean President Syngman Rhee in April 1960. In March 1963, under the pen name Kim Ji-ha, he published the poem "Jeonyeok iyagi" (저녁 이야기 Evening Story) in the journal Mokpo Literature (목포문학). In 1964, Kim took part in the demonstrations against the normalization treaty establishing diplomatic relations with Japan, for which he was briefly arrested. In 1966, he graduated with a degree in aesthetics from Seoul National University. He made his official literary debut in 1969 in the journal Si-in (시인) with the poem, "Hwangtotgil" (황톳길 Dirt Road).
Kim was a dissident under the Park regime, taking the pen-name Ji-ha because it is the Korean word for "underground." Kim first came to widespread attention in May 1970 with his poem "Ojeok" (오적 Five Bandits), which led to him being arrested under the Anti-Communist Law, though the poem says nothing about either communism or North Korea. After accusing the Park regime of extracting false confessions with the use of torture, he was tried and sentenced to death in 1974, which was commuted to a life sentence and eventual release following a public outcry. When he further accused the government of using torture to get confessions in the 1974 People's Revolutionary Party case, he was once again sent to prison and his life sentence renewed. His poem "Five Bandits," critical of the government, was subject to censorship, as the entire issue of Sasangye (사상계) magazine in which it was printed was pulled from circulation.
2. Writing
From his first collection, Hwangto (황토 Yellow Earth), to his collection of lyrical poetry, Byeolbateul ureoreumyeo (별밭을 우러르며 Looking Up at a Starry Field), Kim has displayed a broad literary range including both narrative and lyrical poems, ballads, daeseol (대설), drama, and prose. His works also cover the full gamut of religious thought and philosophy, from the Donghak, to the Catholic, Jeungsan, Avatamska, Zen, and Maitraya tradition.
The majority of Kim’s poems also present satirical social critiques. In "Hwangto" and "Taneun mongmareumeuro" (타는 목마름으로 With a Burning Thirst), the poet offers a scathing invective of society through the medium of lyric poetry. In ballads such as "Five Bandits" and "Bieo" (비어 Groundless Rumors), he employs a pansori rhythm and occasionally obscure classical Chinese characters to satirize the misdeeds and corruption of those in power. The pansori rhythm is present again in I gamun narui bigureum (이 가문 날의 비구름 A Rain Cloud in these Days of Drought), a collection of narrative poems that examine the life and death of Choi Je-u. His collection Aerin (애린 Love Thy Neighbor), when compared to Kim's earlier works, focuses more directly on the notion of romantic love, thus marking a turning point in the poet’s thematic focus. Byeolbateul ureoreumyeo and Jungsimui goeroum (중심의 괴로움 The Agony of the Center) reflect this shifting thematic interest in their lyrical content and intent in relating the individual’s interior monologue. These works also reveal a strong undercurrent of Romanticism, in focusing more deliberately on the poet’s desire to connect with nature than on his discontent with society.
In the 1980s Kim's poetry and thought underwent yet another transfiguration. Distancing himself from the struggle of the labor movement then the dominant theme of the era, the poet was able to develop a fresh perspective on life.
In his play Geumgwanui yesu (금관의 예수 The Gold-Crowned Jesus) a leper, the most despised outcast class in Korea, encounters the imprisoned Jesus. Jesus tells the leper that he must help liberate Him. By helping the poor, the gold crown of Jesus will be removed and His lips freed to speak.
