‘Jindallaekkot,’ a book of poems by poet Kim So-wol (real name: Kim Jeong-sik, Aug. 6, 1902-Dec. 24, 1934), was published by Maemunsa Company on December 26, 1925. This is the first edition that was published while the poet was still alive, and it was registered as a cultural asset considering that the book contains many poems which express folksy and traditional sentiment in abstained tune.
Even after So-Wol’s death, ‘Jindallaekkot’ was published by many publishers. It is considered to be one of the most beloved literature among Korean people. This book contains many literary gems such as ‘Jindallaekkot,’ the best of farewell poem that carries on the legacy of ancient poems ‘Gasiri’ and ‘Arirang.’ Other works that are included in the book are ‘Meonhuil (Distant future),’ ‘Sanyuhwa, (Wild Chrysanthemum)’ ‘Eommaya Nunaya (Mother and sister),’ and ‘Chohon (Invocation).’
「Jindallaekkot (Azalea Flowers), Book of Poems by Kim So-wol」, which is newly registered as the cultural asset, was published in two forms because two different distributors (Hanseong Publishing Company and Jungang Bookstore) were involved at the time of the book’s first appearance. However, the contents, publication date as appears on the copyright paper, publisher, printing house, and publishing office match with each other. The Hanseong Publishing Company version has a picture of flower on the cover and exhibits many editing errors in the text.
The book’s cultural asset registration process considered the following: it acknowledged the record of copyright issued by Maemunsa in 1925, when the author was still alive, graduation of Baejae Hakdang (Baejae High School) in 1923, and satisfactory state of the book’s overall preservation. As result, 2 types and 4 items were selected as registered cultural assets