Yu Ch’ihwan, also known by his penname Ch’ŏngma(청마/靑馬), was born in South Kyŏngsang Province in 1908. He studied the Chinese classics until the age of 11 and attended T’ongyŏng primary school for four years until enrolling in Toyoyaja Middle School (도요야마중학교/豊山中學校) in Japan in 1922. After he returned to Korea, he graduated high school in 1926 and enrolled in the Yŏnhŭi School of Literature (연희전문학교, now Yonsei University) in 1927 before dropping out after only a year. He made his literary debut in 1931 with his poem “Tranquility” (정적) in Munye Wolgan.
Yu moved to Manchuria in 1940 with his family to escape Japanese political persecution. There, he struggled as a farm laborer for five years before returning to Korea following liberation. His poems “Beautiful Island” (절도), “Head” (수), and “Julmyongji” (절명지) integrate his experiences living in the wilderness of Manchuria and his will to survive in harsh conditions.
Yu passed away in a car accident in his hometown in 1967.
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