Cho JihoonCho Jihoon (1920-1968) left a far-reaching influence not only on modern Korean poetry, but on the scholarship of Korean cultural history and its esprit. Though his life lasted not even for five decades, he is remembered as one who laid the foundationfor Korean studies. He became a professor of Korean literature at Korea University when he was only 28; and, fifteen years later, he founded the Institute for Studies of Korean Culture at Korea University. The monumental seven-volume edition of The History of Korean Culture and Its Spiritual Heritage, for which he was a contributor and editor, came to be completed shortly after his death. A scholar, poet, and professor, he was also a stern critic of society, and in many cases, he was either the organizer or a key member of several societies and organizations he was involved in. Living in an age of much political and social turbulence, he tried to get at the roots of Korean culture and spiritual life; and his lifelong search for beauty in what constitutes the foundation of Korean life and culture made him a poet with a unique sense of beauty and a transcendental view of life. He was a man who had an all-encompassing outlook on life and death, on the whole world, while being deeply engrossed in exploring the beauty of Korean life and culture. Read More Read Less