Mom is the very first person
I ever met in this world.
Park Yong Seo
Mr. Park Yong Seo (朴鏞瑞) is a Korean poet, children’s literature writer, and literary organizer from Boryeong, Chungcheongnam-do. He currently serves as Director of the Boryeong Research Institute for the Investigation of National Literary Museums and the Research Institute for the Discovery and Documentation of Writers from Boryeong Living Outside Their Hometown. He is also a correspondent for the Chungnam Regional Headquarters of the Korean Literary Newspaper in Seoul. Park is a member of the Korea Association of Creative Literary Writers. He previously served as Secretary-General of the Boryeong Branch of the Korean Writers’ Association and currently serves as a board member of its Chungnam Branch. He is also associated with the Chungcheongnam-do Center for Filial Culture and Welfare. Since 2009, Park has served as Secretary-General of the Chungnam Regional Committee of the Korean Chapter of International PEN, contributing to literary exchange and the development of literary networks in the region. He has been actively involved in preserving and commemorating the literary heritage of Boryeong and Chungcheongnam-do. In 2013, he served as Chairman of the Organizing Committee for the establishment of a memorial monument for the late poet Hong Wan-gi, a native of Boryeong. He also served on the Steering Committee of the Hong Wan-gi Literary Award. From 2005 to 2008, Park served as Secretary-General of the project to establish handwritten poetry monuments at Gaehwa Art Park in Seongju, Boryeong, Chungcheongnam-do, helping to preserve the literary legacy of contemporary Korean poets in a tangible and enduring form. He also played a central administrative role in establishing the Korea Association for the Preservation of Handwritten Literature, contributing to the preservation, documentation, and promotion of Korea’s handwritten literary heritage. Through his work as a poet, children’s literature writer, literary researcher, and organizer, Park Yong Seo has devoted himself to discovering writers, preserving literary heritage, and fostering literary exchange both within Korea and beyond.
The First People I Ever Met
— Dad and Mom
Mom is the very first person
I ever met in this world.
The first words I ever called out were:
“Mom, Mmm-mom!”
My very first kiss was on my mother’s breast—
a precious medicine filled with all my mother’s love.
Dad is a precious person
Who welcomed our first meeting with a warm smile!
제일 먼저 만난 사람
–아빠와 엄마
엄마는 세상에서
제일 먼저 만난 사람이다.
태어나 처음 불러 본 것은
음 마, 으음 마!
제일 먼저 입맞춤은
엄마의 젖꼭지,
엄마의 사랑이
듬뿍 담긴 보약이다.
아빠는 나와의 만남을
웃음으로 안아준 소중한 사람이다.
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