1945년 2월 16일, 스물일곱의 청년 윤동주는 광복을 불과 6개월 앞두고 일본 후쿠오카 형무소에서 숨을 거두었다. 정확한 사인은 알려진 바 없으나, 같이 수감된 사촌 송몽규의 증언에 의하면 일본군 생체 실험의 결과로 추정된다. 그리고 3년 뒤, 그의 처음이자 마지막 시집인 『하늘과 바람과 별과 시』가 세상에 나오며, 그는 사랑했던 조국에서 국민 시인이 된다.
2018년 겨울, 유년 시절부터 윤동주를 흠모했던 나는 도시샤 대학에 윤동주의 시비가 있다는 얘기를 듣고 일본에 갔다. 윤동주의 시비가 왜 일본에 있을까. 의문을 품으며 시비를 향해 걸어가던 중, 어느 일본인과 대화하게 되었다. 그 일본인은 윤동주의 시와 삶을 통해 평화의 가치를 발견하고, 그를 기리며 일본의 과거를 반성했다. 부끄러웠다. 나는 윤동주를 좋아하지만 제대로 알지 못했다. 그날부터 내가 할 수 있는 것은 없을지 고민하기 시작했다.
그러나 점점 한국과 일본의 관계, 평화, 더 나은 미래 등을 논하는 것은 쉽지 않다는 생각이 들었다. 그것들은 단순하게 말하기에는 복합적인 문제로 얽혀 있다. 나의 생각을 말하는 것이 두렵게 느껴지기도 했다. 그러던 중, 나는 한국의 저항 시인 윤동주(尹東柱)가 아닌, 일본의 청년 윤동주(平沼東柱)에 대해 알아보면 어떨까 하고 생각하게 됐다. 윤동주는 대학에 다니기 위해 창씨개명을 하고 일본으로 건너갔다. 그는 그 사실을 평생 부끄러워하며 슬퍼했지만, 결국 한국의 민족시인으로서 인정받게 된다. 이렇게 한국과 일본의 경계에서 방황했던 윤동주를 통하면, 다양한 의미가 생성될 가능성을 느꼈다. 예상치도 못한 생각들이 자유롭게 모이면, 무언가 조금은 보이지 않을까.
자료를 찾다가 일본에 윤동주를 기념하는 모임(詩人尹東柱を記念する立教の会)이 있다는 것을 알게 되었고, 나는 활동에 참여했다. 그중 어느 회원이 나에게 윤동주가 원래 시집의 제목을 병원으로 하려 했다고 말해주었다. 자신의 시를 통해 사람들이 내면의 치유를 경험하며, 평화로운 세상이 오기를 바랐기 때문이다. 「병원」. 윤동주는 세상을 바라보며 글로써 병원을 지었다. 나는 사진가로서 그의 시선을 이미지로 남기며 또 다른 병원을 짓겠다고 다짐했다. 그렇게 나는 윤동주의 모교인 릿쿄 대학과 도시샤 대학, 그의 자취방 주변, 생전 마지막으로 친구들과 놀러 갔던 우지 시, 삶의 마지막 장소인 후쿠오카 형무소 등 다양한 곳을 돌아다니며 윤동주가 바라보았을 풍경을 기록했다.
“그러나 나의 늙은 의사는 젊은이의 병을 모른다.”
윤동주의 시 <병원>의 구절처럼, 이 작업에는 명확한 답이 없다. 나 역시 계속 찾아가는 중이다. 세상 그 무엇도 사람들의 믿음만큼 명료하고 단순하지 않다. 그렇기에 다양한 생각이 모일 장소가 필요하다. 이 작업이 그런 회색 지대가 되면 좋겠다. 각자 생각하는 바가 다르고, 길을 헤맬 수도 있다. 하지만 분명 우리가 하는 고민들 사이에 중요한 것은 흩어져 있을 것이다.
차연의 풍경 속에서, 윤동주와 만날 수 있길 바란다.
EN
On February 16, 1945, 27-year-old Yun Dong-ju died in Fukuoka prison in Japan, just six months before liberation. The exact cause of his death is unknown, but according to the testimony of his cousin Song Mong-gyu, who was also imprisoned with Yun, his death is believed to have resulted from medical experimentation and biotest by the Japanese military. Three years later, his first and last poetry collection The Sky, the Wind, the Stars, and the Poem was published and he became a national poet in his beloved country.
I, who had admired Yun Dong-ju since childhood, heard that there was a memorial stone to Yun Dong-ju at Doshisha University, and went to Japan In the winter of 2018. I talked with a Japanese person while walking toward his memorial stone of poetry, raising my doubts, “Why is Yun’s memorial stone in Japan?” That Japanese person discovered the value of peace through Yun’s poetry and life, and reflected on the past of Japan, paying homage to the poet. I was ashamed not to know Yun Dong-ju properly despite my liking the poet. From that day on, I started wondering if there was anything I could do.
It was not easy to discuss the relationship between
Korea and Japan, peace, and a better future. These issues are intricately intertwined with one another, making it difficult to simplify. I was also afraid to say what I thought. Meanwhile, I considered investigating Yun Dong-ju as a young Japanese man, not as a Korean resistance poet. Yun went to Japan to attend college after giving up his Korean name and adopting a Japanese name. He was ashamed
and saddened by that fact for the rest of his life, but was eventually appreciated as Korea’s national poet. Yun Dong- ju’s life, straddling both Korean and Japanese cultures, gave rise to a multitude of interpretations. When diverse thoughts come together without constraint, it seems that something new and unexpected begins to emerge.
While doing some research, I discovered an organization in Japan called The Rikkyo Association, which is dedicated to
poet Yun Dong-ju. I decided to join and became involved in their activities. During my participation, a member shared an interesting fact with me about Yun Dong-ju. I learned that he originally wanted to title his poetry collection “Hospital” because he hoped that his poems would help people find inner healing and contribute to a more peaceful world. Essentially, Yun viewed his writings as a form of building a metaphorical hospital for the world. Inspired by this idea, I made a personal commitment to build a similar “Hospital,” but through my photography. I traveled to various locations including Yun’s alma mater, Rikkyo University and Doshisha University, his rented abode in Uji, the city he and his friends last visited before his passing, and Fukuoka prison, where
he spent his last days. My goal was to capture the scenes that Yun likely saw, and create a visual representation of the places significant to him.
“Yet my old doctor does not know what ails this young man.”
Similar to the line from Yun’s poem Hospital, this work does not have a definitive answer. I am also on a continuous search. Nothing in the world is as clear and simple as people’s beliefs. Therefore, we need a place where a wide variety of different ideas can come together. I hope this work can be such a gray zone. Everyone has different thoughts, and we may lose our way. However, it’s obvious that important things are scattered among our concerns.
I, who had admired Yun Dong-ju since childhood, heard that there was a memorial stone to Yun Dong-ju at Doshisha University, and went to Japan In the winter of 2018. I talked with a Japanese person while walking toward his memorial stone of poetry, raising my doubts, “Why is Yun’s memorial stone in Japan?” That Japanese person discovered the value of peace through Yun’s poetry and life, and reflected on the past of Japan, paying homage to the poet. I was ashamed not to know Yun Dong-ju properly despite my liking the poet. From that day on, I started wondering if there was anything I could do.
It was not easy to discuss the relationship between
Korea and Japan, peace, and a better future. These issues are intricately intertwined with one another, making it difficult to simplify. I was also afraid to say what I thought. Meanwhile, I considered investigating Yun Dong-ju as a young Japanese man, not as a Korean resistance poet. Yun went to Japan to attend college after giving up his Korean name and adopting a Japanese name. He was ashamed
and saddened by that fact for the rest of his life, but was eventually appreciated as Korea’s national poet. Yun Dong- ju’s life, straddling both Korean and Japanese cultures, gave rise to a multitude of interpretations. When diverse thoughts come together without constraint, it seems that something new and unexpected begins to emerge.
While doing some research, I discovered an organization in Japan called The Rikkyo Association, which is dedicated to
poet Yun Dong-ju. I decided to join and became involved in their activities. During my participation, a member shared an interesting fact with me about Yun Dong-ju. I learned that he originally wanted to title his poetry collection “Hospital” because he hoped that his poems would help people find inner healing and contribute to a more peaceful world. Essentially, Yun viewed his writings as a form of building a metaphorical hospital for the world. Inspired by this idea, I made a personal commitment to build a similar “Hospital,” but through my photography. I traveled to various locations including Yun’s alma mater, Rikkyo University and Doshisha University, his rented abode in Uji, the city he and his friends last visited before his passing, and Fukuoka prison, where
he spent his last days. My goal was to capture the scenes that Yun likely saw, and create a visual representation of the places significant to him.
“Yet my old doctor does not know what ails this young man.”
Similar to the line from Yun’s poem Hospital, this work does not have a definitive answer. I am also on a continuous search. Nothing in the world is as clear and simple as people’s beliefs. Therefore, we need a place where a wide variety of different ideas can come together. I hope this work can be such a gray zone. Everyone has different thoughts, and we may lose our way. However, it’s obvious that important things are scattered among our concerns.
I hope we can encounter Yun Dong-ju in these differences.