Cho Ji Hoon (조 지훈, 1920 ~ 1968)
Born in 1920, Cho Ji Hoon is a canonical poet of modern Korea and a renowned scholar of Korean aesthetics. Written in a modernist free-verse form, his poetry is rooted in the literary Sijo that began in 12th century and has the intense local flavors, imbued with the sounds, smells, and colors of pre-industrial Korea. In 1939, Cho Ji Hoon’s first poem appeared in the literary magazine MoonJang. In 1946, his poetry appeared in the collection, Cheongnok Jip (청록집) along with the works of Park Mokwohl and Pak Doo Zin. The three were known as “Cheongnokpa,” or the “Green Deer Poets.” A professor of Korean language and literature at Korea University for 20 years, Cho Ji Hoon served as the president of the Korean cultural society affiliated with the university and president of the Korean poet’s association. He received numerous literary awards and published five poetry collections, as well as many books related to Korean aesthetics and literature. He died in 1968.