Kim Chung-young's Suwon Microscope (62) The Jangan Gate Plaque is the Work of Sohyung Yang Geun-woong

Jangan Gate (長安門) is the main gate of Hwaseong Fortress, located to the north among its four major gates. Construction of Jangan Gate began on February 28, 1794, and was completed on September 5 of that year. The name "Jangan Gate" was designated by King Jeongjo, and the plaque inscription was written by Jo Yun-hyung. Since the Zhou Dynasty in China, Chang'an had served as the capital of the Qin, Han, Sui, and Tang dynasties. Chang'an was used as a character symbolizing national peace and stability.

King Jeongjo named the north gate of Hwaseong "Jangan Gate" with the intention of recreating the glory of Chang'an in Hwaseong. Jangan Gate was destroyed during the Korean War but was restored between 1975 and 1979. The Hwaseong restoration project was, as explained in 'Kim Chung-young's Suwon Microscope (47) - Lee Byeong-hee's Story of Hwaseong Restoration,' undertaken at the initiative of Minister without Portfolio Lee Byeong-hee, with approval from Prime Minister Kim Jong-pil and authorization from President Park Chung-hee.

The Jangan Gate plaque is known to have been written by Sohyung (素馨) Yang Geun-woong (梁謹雄). This record is detailed in the 'Suwon Reception Room' section titled 'Suwon City Citizen Affairs Director Yang Geun-woong,' published in issue No. 59 of 'Suwon Love' magazine from January 1993 by the Suwon Cultural Center. It states that 'about twenty years ago, while restoring Suwon Fortress, when searching for someone to write the plaque, he was given the opportunity.'

Furthermore, on page 202 of the 'Suwon Comprehensive Toponymy,' published in June 1999 by Suwon City and the Suwon Cultural Center, it states in the Jangan Gate section that 'the Jangan Gate plaque is inscribed by the calligraphy of Yang Geun-woong, former Citizen Affairs Director of Suwon City Hall.' However, in 'Kim Jong-pil's Memoir, Special Reminiscence on the 70th Anniversary of Liberation (August 14, 2015),' Kim Jong-pil wrote: "Hwaseong Fortress in Suwon, designated as a World Cultural Heritage, has Jangan Gate. When restoring the fortress, upon the recommendation of Congressman Lee Byeong-hee, I wrote the 'Jangan Gate' plaque and had it installed," which sparked controversy.

In response to the controversy, Lee Chang-sik and Han Dong-min in their work 'Suwon Wild History' (April 30, 2017) wrote an article titled 'Who Wrote the Jangan Gate Plaque Inscription? Subtitle: Prime Minister Kim Jong-pil's Promise to Write It, Thwarted by Heavy Snow,' which states: "In conclusion, the Jangan Gate plaque inscription was not written by Kim Jong-pil." The key points of this article are as follows:

According to Lee Nak-cheon, a former structural engineer at Gyeonggi Provincial Government and the person responsible for the practical execution of Hwaseong restoration, Gyeonggi Province requested the Jangan Gate plaque inscription from Prime Minister Kim Jong-pil through Congressman Lee Byeong-hee. However, the plan was to receive the inscription on the day when Governor Jo Byeong-gyu would get approval from Prime Minister Kim Jong-pil. Lee Nak-cheon was responsible for preparing the paper, brush, and ink.

However, the day before Lee Nak-cheon was to go to Seoul, he was sent on a business trip to Ganghwa Island. That night, heavy snow prevented him from returning to Suwon. Unable to deliver the paper, brush, and ink to the governor, he could not request the inscription from the Prime Minister. Lee Nak-cheon reportedly received disciplinary action in late 1975 as a result.

Consequently, Governor Jo Byeong-gyu decided to write the Jangan Gate plaque inscription instead of Prime Minister Kim Jong-pil. 'Governor Jo Byeong-gyu, from Sacheon in South Gyeongsang Province, had studied classical Chinese in childhood and learned brush calligraphy. Through this experience, Governor Jo Byeong-gyu wrote the Jangan Gate plaque inscription, making him officially the author. However, as the characters were small and had stroke issues, Yang Geun-woong, who was working as a professional calligrapher at Gyeonggi Provincial Government at that time, undertook revisions.

... According to the account of Lee Sin-heung, a curator at Gyeonggi Provincial Culture and Public Information Office at the time, the Jangan Gate inscription was written by Governor Jo Byeong-gyu and retouched by Yang Geun-woong at the provincial culture and public information office.... Lee Nak-cheon and Shin Eung-su, the head artisan at the time, who vividly remember those days, clearly and firmly testified that the Jangan Gate plaque inscription was not written by Kim Jong-pil. Then why did Kim Jong-pil remember it as his own writing?

Two possibilities can be inferred. Based on records such as the Prime Minister's Office schedule, Kim Jong-pil may have mistakenly remembered writing the Jangan Gate plaque inscription when it was scheduled to be written by him, or he may have written it but it was never actually delivered.... This is further supported by the fact that the Jangan Gate plaque has neither a signature nor a seal stamp,' it states.

Now I wish to present my own observations. My relationship with Sohyung Yang Geun-woong was explained in 'Kim Chung-young's Suwon Microscope (28),' dated July 19, 2021, titled 'The Seojangdae Plaque is the Personal Calligraphy of King Jeongjo.' On July 1, 1988, when Suwon introduced the district system, I was serving as vice-chief of the Urban Planning Section in the Urban Development Division and was promoted to the chief of the District Reorganization Section.

At that time, the Urban Development Division was located on the left side of City Hall's entrance, with the Citizen Affairs Division across from it. Thus, I frequently met with Yang Geun-woong, then the Citizen Affairs Director. When I told him I wished to learn calligraphy from him, he suggested that I gather people interested in learning calligraphy and form a group, which led to the establishment of the 'Suwon City Hall Calligraphy Club' in 1989.

At the time, the group operated without a president, with me taking the lead in the role of general affairs secretary. Through this connection, I forged a relationship with Sohyung Yang Geun-woong. This relationship continued for twelve years until the Master passed away in 2001 due to illness. Our relationship was as close as that of a senior family elder.

Whenever the Master worked on major pieces, he would ask me for assistance, which I was happy to provide. We worked together on the Olympic Park memorial monument calligraphy in 1989, the North Jisang Yeongryeon monument calligraphy in 1994, the Hwaseong Jangdae plaque inscription in 1994, and the Hwaseong Miracle Monument title inscription in November 1991. Around this time, the Master was nearing retirement and would often speak of his plans after retirement.

At the time, I suggested that the Master should apply for the Suwon City Cultural Award, given his significant contributions to the development of the calligraphy community in Suwon. To give a few examples, he founded the Gyeonggi Province Calligraphy Association in 1974 and served as the first, second, and third president. Starting that same year, he taught calligraphy at the Gyeonggi Women's Center for fourteen years.

He also lectured on calligraphy at the Ministry of Interior's training institute for mayors and county magistrates for over ten years. The Master left many works on public monuments throughout Gyeonggi Province. I reviewed these works with the Master and took photographs. Thus, I created the Achievement Certificate for the 12th Suwon City Cultural Award (Arts Category) Candidate.

Through this process, I heard detailed explanations of each work. The Master's parents lived in Japan; he was born and attended school there. From childhood, he learned calligraphy from his father and was close to the brush. In third grade of elementary school, he competed in the All-Japan Calligraphy Competition and won the grand prize. After liberation, he returned to Korea and lived in Jinju. He graduated from Jinju Teachers College and worked as a teacher for about five years before retiring. He then worked at the National Agricultural Cooperative Federation and the Ministry of Justice.

After retirement, he attempted to start a business, but it was unsuccessful. Subsequently, he came to Suwon to live. At that time, Jo Byeong-gyu, a senior from his hometown, was appointed as Gyeonggi Province Governor (January 1973 – October 1976). Recognizing his abilities, Governor Jo Byeong-gyu recommended the Master to work as a professional calligrapher at Gyeonggi Provincial Government. When the Suwon Fortress restoration and preservation project began, the restoration of the destroyed Jangan Gate and Changryong Gate was also undertaken.

At this time, regarding the Jangan Gate plaque inscription, I believe that Congressman Lee Byeong-hee, who promoted the Suwon Fortress restoration project, wished to give the opportunity to Prime Minister Kim Jong-pil, with whom he shared the connection of being classmates at the Korean Military Academy and "5.16 comrades." However, as stated in Han Dong-min's article, due to heavy snow that prevented Lee Nak-cheon from providing the paper, brush, and ink, Prime Minister Kim Jong-pil was not given the opportunity.

Alternatively, it was suggested that Governor Jo Byeong-gyu write it. However, given that the Jangan Gate plaque was 170 cm in height and 403 cm in width—a large-scale plaque that would be difficult for a non-professional calligrapher to write—Governor Jo Byeong-gyu apparently proposed that Sohyung Yang Geun-woong, a calligrapher then working as a professional penman, write the plaque inscription.

At the time, Master Yang Geun-woong recounted the following to me:

"Whenever I worked on major pieces, my wife would grind the ink for me, and she did the same when I wrote the Jangan Gate plaque. Before writing the inscription, I had to think deeply. The question was how to write characters that would match the image of Jangan Gate (Long Peace Gate).

First, I decided on the font style considering King Jeongjo's filial piety and the principles of yin and yang. In terms of yin and yang, if Paldal Gate (八達門) represents yang, then Jangan Gate corresponds to yin. If yang is masculine, then yin is feminine. Considering the historical context and yin-yang principles, I sought a script style with a feminine image and one that would appeal to the general public, which led to choosing the Ou Yangxun style of script."

This content is also found in the 'Suwon Reception Room - Suwon Citizen Affairs Director Yang Geun-woong' section.

He also told me of the difficulties he encountered while writing. Because the characters were large, he had to use a large brush, but the brush would frequently tear from the heavy ink saturation. As a last resort, he layered multiple sheets of paper as backing before writing the characters on them. The brush and inkstone used for this work are now in the possession of Yang Won-gyung, the Master's eldest daughter.

Master Yang Geun-woong also told me about the Changryong Gate plaque, his counterpart among the gates. At that time, Yi Gyu-i, Vice Governor of Gyeonggi Province, volunteered to write it, and the Master instructed Vice Governor Yi for several months to complete the plaque.

The family of Sohyung Yang Geun-woong has expressed their intention to donate the Master's personal belongings to Suwon City.