POETIC DELIGHTS BY KANG BYEONG CHEOL-KOERA









 1-Endurance of the Shoebill


In the wetlands of Uganda, a bird stands tall,

unending tranquility, waiting for food

Its massive bill shaped like a shoe, ready to haul.

With patience and poise, it stands in the water,

Waiting for prey to come, it doesn't falter.

Its eyes are sharp, its focus intense,

The shoebill picks food with skill and sense.

With lightning speed, it strikes at its prey,

Its powerful beak leaving no delay.

Through thick and thin, the shoebill endures,

Through harsh climates, it steadfastly ensures,

Its survival and place in this world,

Its determination, never give up.

From dawn to dusk, it forages on,

Until the day is done and night has drawn.

The shoebill is a creature of strength and might,


A symbol of endurance, a wondrous sight.


슈빌의 인내와 끈기


우간다 늪지대, 그곳에 큰 새가 서 있네

신발 같은 큰 부리를 가진, 그 새가

차분하게 물속에서 기다리네

먹이를 기다리며,

끝이 보이지 않는 물 위에 선 고요

날카로운 눈, 집중하는 시선,

먹이를 고르는 그 새는 대단하지

빠르게 부리로 내리치며,

주저없이 먹이를 잡는 강한 부리의 힘

변함없이 견뎌내는 새

극한의 환경을 이겨낸 새,

이 세상에서의 생존과 존재감,

절대 지지 않겠다는 그 각오

새벽부터 저녁까지 사냥하고,

낮이 가고 밤이 깊어질 때까지,

그 새는 끊임없이 먹잇감을 찾지.

그 새는 인내와 끈기의 생명체,

환상적인 모습, 그대로 인내의 상징.


2-Our ancestors sang songs


In times of sorrow, our ancestors sang with grace,

In green fields beyond the mountains tall,

Apricot blossoms bathed in sunshine; they'd recall.

Shouldering the plow, one by one they'd toil,

Working hard in the garden soil,

Their labor, though tough, brought them joy,

Producing crops, they felt employed.

The waves crash and rush over the sea,

As the sun sets, a touching scene to see,

We must remember, until tears fall,

Tomorrow brings a new day for us all.

Our traditional song, so beautiful and true,

Loved by all, in our hearts it grew,

May it forever live on and on,

Passed down to our descendants, like the dawn.

let’s sing our ancestors song,

“Bum is coming down! a tiger is coming down!

A beast is coming down through the valleys in the vast forest”


선조들의 노래


슬픔 가득한 날에도 선조들은 우아하게 노래했지!

높은 산 너머 푸른 들에서,

살구꽃이 햇살에 물드는 모습을 떠올렸어.

삽을 메고 일하던 그들은 한 사람씩 밭에 들어갔어

처음부터 끝까지 힘들지만,

작물을 수확하는 즐거움에 충만했었지

파도가 바다 위를 내달리면서,

일몰은 감동적인 장면을 선사하네

눈물이 떨어질 때 기억해야 할 것은,

내일은 우리 모두를 위한 새로운 하루가 온다는 것

우리의 전통 노래는 아름답고 진실하지

모두에게 사랑받고 우리 마음속에서 자라났어

영원히 이어지며,

새벽처럼 우리 후손들에게 전해져야 해

노래하자, 선조들이 노래를,

“범 내려온다! 범이 내려온다! 장림 깊은 골로 대한 짐승이 내려온다!”


3-A Drop That Will Change the Future


Long ago, at Vilnius University in Lithuania,

I read a phrase that struck a chord in my heart:

“One idea to change the future”

As I walked down the street,

Or sipped my coffee,

This phrase would come to mind,

Like a beautiful line from a poem.

A Turkish poet's one idea,

Of an Earth Civilization Initiative,

Believing that we can change the future.

For a true heart can move the world,

Just as dandelion seeds blown by the wind,

Can take root and spread across the globe

May the poets idea


Spread far and wide across the world,

And through the collective efforts of many drops,

May they come together to form an ocean,

Changing the future as we know it.


미래를 바꿀 한 방울


오래전에, 리투아니아의 빌니우스 대학에서

나는 내 가슴에 박히는 한 구절을 읽었지

미래를 바꾸는 한 생각

거리를 걸을 때도

커피를 마실 때도

내 마음에서 그 구절이 떠올랐어

아름다운 시 구절처럼

터키 시인의 한 생각

지구문명구상

미래를 바꿀 수 있다고 믿어

진실한 마음은 세상을 움직이지

민들레 꽃씨가 바람에 날려

온세상에 뿌리를 내리듯이

시인의 구상이

온 세상에 널리 퍼져서

미래를 바꾸게 되길

한 방울의 물이 모여서

바다가 되듯이

미래를 바꾸는 물방울들이 함께하길


AUTHOR:










KANG BYEONG_CHEOL-KOERA

Poet Dr. Kang Byeong-Cheol is a Korean author and poet, born in Jeju City, South Korea, in 1964.
Kang Byeong-Cheol is a Korean author, poet, translator, and Doctor of Philosophy in Political
Science. He was born in Jeju City, South Korea, in 1964. He began writing in 1993 and published his
first short story, Song of Shuba, at the age of twenty-nine. In 2005, he published a collection of short
stories. Over the course of his career, he has received eight major literary awards and published more
than 20 books, spanning poetry, fiction, and essays.
He earned his Ph.D. in Political Science from Jeju National University in February 2012, after
completing a B.A. in Management at the same university in 2004. In addition to his academic
degrees, Dr. Kang has completed several internationally recognized training programs in
peacebuilding and mediation. In 2006, he received a certificate in Mediation Theory and Practice,
jointly delivered by the University of South Australia and Southern Oregon University in Suva, Fiji. The
following year, in 2007, he completed a program on East Asian Peace Governance and Peace
Culture, co-organized by Suffolk University (USA) and Jeju National University. In 2008, he
participated in two intensive peacebuilding courses hosted by PATRIR in Cluj-Napoca, Romania:
From Conflict to Peace Processes and Designing Peacebuilding Programs.
Dr. Kang has also actively participated in a number of international conferences. These include the
3rd Asia-Pacific Mediation Conference in Fiji; the 2006 Diaspora Conference on peace and
development in Toronto, Canada; and the 2007 World Conference against Atomic and Hydrogen
Bombs in Nagasaki, Japan. These engagements reflect his longstanding interest in peace studies and
global cooperation.
Throughout his professional career, Dr. Kang has served in a number of significant roles. From 1992
to 1996, he was the Jeju Branch Director of the Korea Herald. He worked as a columnist for the Jeju
Times from 2004 to 2010, and served as Special Research Fellow at the Jeju National University
Peace Institute between 2007 and 2010. From 2010 to 2013, he was CEO of the Jejuin News internet
press. Since 2010, he has been a Senior Research Fellow at the Society of Ieodo Research, and
since 2016, a Special Appointed Professor at Jeju International University. He is currently Vice
President of the Korean Institute for Peace and Cooperation. He was also a member of the Writers in
Prison Committee (WiPC) of PEN International from 2009 to 2014, and previously served as an

editorial writer for New Jeju Ilbo, a local newspaper in Jeju.

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