Red Censorship Lines Remain... Shim Hoon’s “If That Day Comes” Returns Home After 90 Years

Full Manuscript of "Evergreen Tree" Unveiled for the First Time
Family Donates 59 Items in 46 Categories
Third Son Preserved the Collection in the U.S. for Over 50 Years
Returned After Seven Years of Negotiations with the National Institute of Ko

Multiple red lines are drawn across the manuscript, with red stamps also present in several places. In 1932, Shim Hun attempted to compile his poems into a single book for the world to see, but the censorship of the Government-General of Korea blocked that path. Within that manuscript was the poem “The Day Will Come,” which would later be remembered alongside his name.

Handwritten manuscripts and personal artifacts left by Shim Hun (birth name Shim Daeseop, 1901–1936), poet, novelist, and independence activist, have returned to Korea from the United States after 90 years. The National Museum of Korean Literature announced on the 11th, just ahead of Liberation Day, that it had unveiled 59 items from 46 batches of literary and personal materials donated by Shim Hun’s family.

Among these materials, the most eye-catching is the “Collected Poems of Shim Hun,” which he personally compiled in 1932 for publication. The handwritten collection includes “The Day Will Come” and “A Letter to Mother From Prison,” which he wrote while imprisoned in Seodaemun Prison after being arrested for participating in the March 1st Movement. The manuscript, submitted to the police bureau library of the Government-General of Korea for publication approval, still bears the red lines and stamps. The poetry collection was never published during his lifetime; only in 1949, after Korea’s liberation, was it released posthumously.

For the first time, the complete handwritten manuscript of his novel “Sangnoksoo” (“Evergreen Tree”) has also been made public. Previously, only about nine loose pages from a few installments were kept at the Shim Hun Memorial Hall in Dangjin. The newly unveiled handwritten version contains differences in composition and expression from the newspaper serial edition. As such, it is expected to be a valuable source for studying not only Shim Hun’s creative process but also the Korean literary style of that era and the influence of Japanese censorship.

The handwritten manuscripts of “Jiknyeoseong” and “Eternal Smile,” as well as a film script, have also returned. In addition to these literary works, the collection includes photographs of Shim Hun and an obituary telegram announcing his death, providing insights into his personal history. Shim Hun’s activities were not limited to novels and poetry; he ventured across various fields including film and media.

Handwritten manuscript of Shim Hun's "Oh, Sons of Joseon!" National Korean Literature Museum

The draft of “Oh, Sons of Joseon!”—reportedly written after hearing that Sohn Kee-chung had won a gold medal at the 1936 Berlin Olympics—is also part of this collection. Shim Hun is said to have written this poem on the back of an extra edition of the newspaper reporting the gold medal news. This work is known as his last poem before his death.

The person who safeguarded these materials was Shim Hun’s third son, Shim Jaeho (1936–2021). Born the year his father passed away, he never saw his father’s face. After working as a journalist for Dong-A Ilbo, he moved to the United States in 1974 and carefully organized and preserved his father’s manuscripts and materials at his home in Arlington, Virginia. There are handwritten notes from him attached to various parts of the archive.

Shim Hun’s granddaughter, Shim Youngjoo, participated in a press briefing virtually and explained that her father kept these materials in a paulownia wood chest for about 50 years. The family felt it was essential for Shim Hun’s materials to ultimately be preserved in Korea. According to the National Museum of Korean Literature, when the materials were handed over in June, the family repeatedly said, “They are finally going where they belong.”

The repatriation process took seven years. The National Museum of Korean Literature began discussions about the donation immediately after its establishment, visiting Shim Jaeho’s home in the United States in 2019. Negotiations were on and off until early June this year when the donation agreement was finalized, and the materials were received on June 23rd.

In 1919, while attending Gyeongseong First High School, Shim Hun participated in the March 1st Movement, for which he was imprisoned. He later moved to Shanghai, China, where he interacted with fellow independence activists and thinkers. His literary works are deeply imbued with the reality of colonial Korea and a strong anti-Japanese national consciousness. In particular, “The Day Will Come” powerfully expresses the longing for national liberation in fervent language.

Heon-Young Lim, director of the National Museum of Korean Literature, evaluated “The Day Will Come” as a resistance poem of the Japanese colonial period, comparable to Hwang Hyeon’s “Jeolmyeongsi,” and explained that the newly released materials hold significant value not only for literary history, but also for the history of the independence movement and for studying colonial censorship.

This is the second time the National Museum of Korean Literature has brought Korean literary materials from overseas, following its acquisition of items from the late Professor Masuo Omura, a Japanese researcher of Korean literature, in 2023. Currently, the museum’s collection consists of about 120,000 items, and after its opening next April, the newly repatriated Shim Hun archives will also be gradually made available to the public.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.