The literary value and restoration of Yang Woon-han, a member of the group 『La Dislocation』

This study aims to restore the life and activities of Yang Woon-han (楊雲 閒), a modernist poet and member of the group 『La Dislocation』 (斷層, 1937– 1940), who has been omitted from the history of Korean poetry, and cataloged his poetry and prose from the 1930s to the 1950s for the first time. It also analyzed the themes and trends of his 1930s poetry and examined his literary achievements and significance. In terms of his life, it was confirmed through historical materials that Yang Woon-han (1907–1977) was from Sukchon, Pyeongannam-do, and graduated from Gwangseong High School (1924– 1928) and Sungsil College (1932–1935). The first characteristic to note in relation to his literary achievements is the implementation of modernism based on a critical awareness of urban life in Pyongyang. He poeticized the landscape of the modern colonial city of Pyongyang and the oppressive and inhumane colonial reality inherent in it. The second major characteristic is the creation of a long poem format. He narratively reproduced the contemporary and historical reality through long poems. The third characteristic is that he used the methodology of modernist poetry to effectively implement the atmosphere and thematic consciousness of the poem through techniques such as visual images, the perspective of a camera lens, and the depiction of cinematic scenes. Through the long poem format, visual reproduction techniques, and a critical understanding of the urban and rural realities resulting from Japanese exploitation, Yang Woon-han showed a new horizon of Korean modernist poetry based on the regionality of Pyongyang and the reality of a colonial city, beyond the poet of 『La Dialocation』.