Poet Ko Un to leave Suwon

By Kim Jae-heun

Ko Un

Korean poet Ko Un, who is often touted as having the best chance at winning a Nobel Prize in literature here, said he will move out of the residence Suwon City has provided him, after sexual harassment allegations were made against him.

It has been five years since the poet moved into the house at the foot of Gwanggyo Mountain in Jangan-gu, Suwon, in 2013. Ko lived in Anseong, Gyeonggi Province for 20 years until Suwon City bought a residence and remodeled it to provide to Ko where he could concentrate on writing poems.

The 85-year old poet has been mentioned as a Nobel Prize candidate every year and Suwon has been giving positive aid to him as part of its plan to make the town a city of literature. The local government has also been covering Ko’s utility bills

Suwon City was planning to build the Ko Un Literary House, celebrating the 60th anniversary of his debut this year.

However, all the plans have been halted now and the local government is reexamining these plans after Ko said through his foundation Sunday that he will move to a new place within the year.

“Ko’s foundation said the poet has been feeling the pressure of living in the house Suwon City provided as his neighbors have been protesting and calling for him to move out since last May. Ko has been preparing to move and he will find a new place where he can live as a free man,” a city official said. He added that the poet did not want to cause problems for the local government.

Residents of Mount Gwanggyo have been protesting against the city government since last year for providing special aid to the poet, while designating the town as a development restriction zone and restricting their economic activity under the law to protect the water supply source.

Women’s organizations in Suwon also called on Suwon to stop supporting Ko as part of the “#MeToo” movement denouncing the poet’s alleged involvement in sexual harassment.

Earlier this month, a female poet Choi Young-mi brought up the allegations, criticizing his habitual groping of young poets at dinners and parties. Choi called him a “monster” in a poem criticizing Ko.