The seven-year battle of writing Ryu Song-nyong's biography

Books

Published: 27 Mar. 2023, 19:56 Updated: 27 Mar. 2023, 20:04

The seven-year battle of writing Ryu Song-nyong's biography

Choi Byong-hyon, director of the Center for Globalizing Korean Classics, introduces his new book, his first biography on Ryu Song-nyong at his Seoul office in central Seoul on March 24. [PARK SANG-MOON]

Admiral Yi Sun-sin (1545-1598) is known both at home and abroad for his epic sea battles against the Japanese during the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910). Ryu Song-nyong (1542-1607), on the other hand, may not be as familiar. He was a scholar and a chief chancellor who recommended Yi as the commander of the Left Jeolla Naval District just in time to fight Japan’s invasion of Korea in 1592, known as the Imjin War.

Choi Byong-hyon, 73, a scholar in English literature and a translator of Korean classics, who is also the director of the Center for Globalizing Korean Classics, says Yi would not be known as the hero he is today without Ryu’s recommendation and support.

“If it was Yi who was in charge of the seas, it was Ryu who did more than any other to hold the country together during the crisis,” said Choi. “Most Korean intellectuals will know who Ryu is, but only a few will know him well.”

Choi, who has been spending the past two decades of his life translating Korean classics to English. recently decided to go a step further and write a biography of a Korean historical figure.

His first pick was Ryu.

The book is titled “Ryu Songnyong, Chancellor of Choson Korea: On the Battlefield and in Memory,” and was published recently through the University of California, Berkeley as part of the Korea Research Monograph series at its Center for Korean Studies.

Choi says his ties to Ryu go back more than 20 years ago.

The cover of Choi's new book, ″Ryu Songnyong, Chancellor of Choson Korea″ [CHOI BYONG-HYON]

It was 1997, when Koreans were traumatized by the IMF bailout after getting hit hard by the Asian financial crisis. Choi, who was then a professor of English Language and Literature at Honam University in Gwangju, listened to a radio show where a war of words broke out between Kang Kyung-shik, who was then the deputy prime minister, and a politician from an opposition party. They were fiercely arguing about what had caused the crisis and who was to blame.

Choi thought the situation had a resemblance to the Imjin War that took place for seven years from 1592.

“Back then, two opposing political factions of Joseon — the Northern faction and the Eastern faction — also fiercely argued over who was to blame for the outbreak of the Imjin War,” said Choi. “The people of Joseon did not know who Toyotomi Hideyoshi [the Japanese general who launched the invasion of Korea] was — somewhat similar to the situation in Korea during the Asian financial crisis. People did not know what IMF meant and were not aware it was a national crisis.”

While “listening to the radio where the two, whom we called leaders of the country, were busy shifting the responsibility,” Choi was reminded of a historical text called “Chingbirok,” a memoir of the Imjin War written by Ryu. Known as the “Book of Corrections” in English, the purpose of writing Chingbirok (also spelt Jingbirok), as Ryu writes in the preface, was to prevent the same mistakes from taking place in the future.

“History was repeating itself and I thought it’s because we did not take the words from our ancestor seriously,” said Choi.
Choi went home to find Chingbirok in his study and began to translate the text, starting from the preface.

“I finished translating the preface in one sitting,” he said.

“Reading the preface written in Korean was somewhat dull. But after reading the English version I just wrote, the words seemed like they were alive; it was so much more inspiring that I was determined to translate the whole text. I could just feel what Ryu was trying to say in my bones. The whole process took me seven years — coincidentally the same duration as the Imjin War. I call it my own version of the Imjin War.”

Chingbirok (The Book of Corrections, also spelt Jingbirok), written by Ryu after the Imjin War (1592-98) to record what had occurred during the time in order to prevent the same mistakes in the future. Choi translated Chingbirok in English in 2002. [CULTURAL HERITAGE ADMINISTRATION]

“Around 2015 when I was thinking about my next project, I thought I’ve done enough translations of Korean classics to, what should I say, plow a field, or to set up an example that could act as a model or a reference for future translators. I thought it was time for me to move on and start writing biographies of Korean historical figures [...] The reason why Korean historical figures remain nameless even in today’s era of globalization is because there are no English biographies.”

Choi's English translated works of Korean classics include Chung Yak-yong's "Mongmin Simseo," which was published in 2010 with an English title "Admonitions on Governing the People: Manual for All Administrators"; "Taejo Sillok," published as "The Annals of King Taejo: Founder of Korea's Choson Dynasty" in 2014; as well as Park Je-ga's "Bukhakui," with a title "A Korean Scholar's Rude Awakening in Qing China: Park Chega's Discourse on Northern Learning" in 2019.

“Even if I write a great biography, will an American publishing company be willing to publish the book?” Choi wondered. This was another factor behind his decision to choose Ryu as a subject. Because University of California, Berkeley, published Choi's translated Chingbirok 20 years ago, it was well-aware of who Ryu was and willing to publish an English biography on him.

Hahoe Village in Andong has been the ancestral seat of the Pungsan Ryu clan since the end of Goryeo Dynasty (918-1392). [JOONGANG SUNDAY]

To hear more about the book and his mission to continue writing English books on Korean historical figures and translating Korean classics, the Korea JoongAng Daily sat down with Choi for an interview at his Seoul office on March 24. The following are edited excerpts.

Q. The subtitle “On the Battlefield and in Memory” is quite impressive. I guess it‘s taken from the famous quote “All wars are fought twice — on the battlefield and in memory” by Pulitzer-winning Vietnamese writer Thanh Nguyen. It implies that Ryu left behind a great legacy with Chingbirok. Is that right?

A. Ryu dedicated the latter years of his life, the twilight days, which I think is the most beautiful time of the day, to writing Chingbirok. Though he did not fight on the battlefield like admiral Yi, he oversaw the whole war and even after it came to an end, he kept the memory of the war alive, which became Korea’s National Treasure, Chingbirok. You know how Americans call it the Vietnam War and the Vietnamese call it an American War?

Similarly, for the Imjin War, the Japanese call it the Bunroku-Keicho War, which is the names of the two Japanese emperors whose reigns span the period when the war took place. This name perniciously implies that the war is merely something that happened during a particular period of time. The Chinese, on the other hand, call it “Kangwo Yuanzhu,” which means “Military Assistance to Repulse the Japanese.” This is misleading because it only highlights the clash between them, leaving out Korea where the war actually took place. That is why texts like Chingbirok are so valuable in order to remember what really happened. We should never ever lose a battle in memory, though we may lose the real battle.

You said writing a biography is like painting a portrait with words. I think it’s a great statement. What kind of portrait do you think you’ve created? Moreover, when you deeply explore one person, you are ought to sympathize with or understand the parts of them that others may miss or overlook. What parts of him did you sympathize with more?

The biography of a person usually starts from childhood but for Ryu, there’s just not enough data. In order for me to understand him, I had to read all the books and materials that Ryu would have read and studied. That’s why it took me seven years. I couldn’t help but to think whether the biography I am attempting to write is a mere likeness of Ryu by tracing shadows cast on the wall.

Ryu’s life can be largely divided into before and after the Imjin War. I can say that the former stands out for his achievements and the latter for his attitude. The part I sympathize with more is the latter. A loyal and lofty attitude that never yields even after losing power and concern for prosperity of the country is something that can only be seen from outstanding heroes.

It’s ideal for a scholar to be equipped with both academics and achievements. Many Joseon scholars of Ryu’s time were intellectuals but their achievements were meager. Ryu’s studies became the driving force to save the country in the time of crisis of the Imjin War.

What I wanted to emphasize in the biography is his attitude as a scholar and political leader rather than listing his array of achievements. When Ryu was falsely charged with disloyalty to the king and expelled from the court despite his achievements, he never protested. Though the Japanese were driven back into the sea, Ryu thought that he had failed to prevent the shocking devastation wrought by the Japanese invaders. He retired to the countryside and resolved to seek deeper knowledge and to create, for future generations, lessons contained in the war. Years later, after realizing the injustice of the verdict rendered against Ryu, the king wanted to make amends by sending an artist to capture his likeness, a sign of his return to royal favor and national renown. But Ryu declined to sit for the portrait. This refusal of courtly reputation and the honor that most of his countrymen considered his due was part and parcel of Ryu’s character, ingrained throughout a life of constant duty and faceless heroism.

The thickness of the book, 500 pages, intimidated me at first, but I was surprised to find that it reads like a novel. How is that possible?

I don’t think Dante would have been able to write “The Divine Comedy” if he wasn’t banished from Florence. It has before and after. John Milton wrote “Paradise Lost” when he was in misery, after his career ended. He also has a before and after. Ryu also has that distinctive before and after, which makes his life story very interesting. Ryu wrote Chingbirok after his impeachment, when he was abandoned. Before the impeachment, his life in the public service was brilliant [...] But after it, his life in retirement was even more awe-inspiring. The last part of his life finally revealed the kind of man he was and it’s really moving.

When I pick Korean classics to translate, I always think about their global appeal. It has to be local and universal. It also has to be temporal and timeless. I applied the same principle when I selected a historical figure for my first biography. Ryu is a historical figure that has all that. That is why his story is so interesting and reads like a novel, especially in English.

Joseon Wangjo Sillok, or the Annals of Joseon Dynasty, comprise 1,893 books and 888 volumes covering 472 years (1392-1863) of the history of the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910) in chronological order, from the reign of King Taejo, the founder, to the end of the reign of King Cheoljong. It is listed in Unesco's Memory of the World registry. Choi translated in English King Taejo's section of the sillok in 2014. [CULTURAL HERITAGE ADMINISTRATION]

While translating difficult Korean classics into English, you must have encountered Chinese-derived words. What was the most difficult part?

The most difficult part was coming up with the names of the structure of the government. Ryu spent many years serving the king under a number of official titles, eventually becoming the highest-ranking official. A quick outline of the structure of that government was also necessary for readers, who might otherwise be baffled by the maze of offices and titles they will encounter in the biography.

What will your next project be?

I want to work on revising the Chingbirok. I also want to continue on with writing more biographies for other Korean historical figures. But there is so much work to do but so little time. I’ve been devoting my life to this mission but I hope more and more talented young Koreans realize we have so many valuable historical texts and great historical figures to globalize and join in this mission, which have been very lonely for me. Take the Annals of Joseon Dynasty for example. It’s listed on the Unesco's Memory of the World registry. But if no one can read them, they are nominal heritages. I hope to see more people join me and not waste Korea’s valuable resources.

BY YIM SEUNG-HYE [yim.seunghye@joongang.co.kr]