Though he was a major journalist in his day, Hanseo Namgung Eok did not publish many articles in newspapers or magazines. For this reason, we can only glean about his life and thoughts from the textbooks and history books that he left behind. This book is divided into four parts. They are the pieces he wrote, the songs he either wrote himself or popularized, the anecdotes related to him, and the police interrogation records.
Part I consists of the anecdotes related to Hanseo Namgung Eok. The intent here is to remember Namgung Eok, who lived a life of action, through the anecdotes from his younger days, and especially those from his days in Mogok after his retirement.
Part II consists of the songs that Namgung Eok either wrote or distributed, along with concise explanations about them. He wrote lyrics to more than one hundred songs, though many of them were prohibited or censored by Japan. Fortunately, more than one hundred songs have been preserved and continue to be sung by people. In the midst of the uncertain fate of the nation, Namgung flowered hope through the lyrics he wrote, just like in the case of the mugunghwa itself.
Part III contains writings from Namgung’s active days as a journalist while still a government official. In addition to those from his time as the president of the Daehan Association and the Hwangsung Newspaper, the original manuscripts of his congratulatory speeches about the founding issues and editorials are provided.
Part IV introduces Namgung Eok, the educator. This section contains not only A Brief History of the East and Joseon Story, which were written after Namgung’s retirement, but also selections from the Education Monthly and Domestic Education. While Domestic Education was the product of his recognition of the importance of women, it also showed how authentic, practical, and wise his faith was. The selection from Joseon Story (five books in total) delineates the situation at the end of the Joseon Dynasty, the March 1st Movement, and the oppression by Japan, as recorded in Book No. 5. The testimonies of the eyewitnesses, who were present during the actual events, and those who experienced and endured all kinds of hardships and torture at the hand of the Japanese, present vividly those aspects that are not contained in other history books.
Lastly, Part V provides the interrogation records from Namgung’s time of arrest and interrogation for violating the National Security Act in 1933. His calm confessions at the age of seventy, in the face of the Japanese police, talking about his vision for the independence of Korea and the task for the nation, remain a great challenge to us today.
Relevant photos and related resources are included throughout the book so as to aid the understanding of the readers. I hope that this book will not just serve as a simple record of Hanseo Namgung Eok the individual but more importantly an instrument through which the meaning of Namgung Eok’s life and the significance of the mugunghwa are planted in the hearts of readers.
