About Jeong Ji-yong
Lived 1902 – 1950 (aged 48). Jeong Ji-yong was a Korean poet.
Jeong Ji-yong, often romanized in literature as Cheong Chi-yong (; 20 June 1902 – 1950), was a Korean poet and translator of English poetry who "opened a new horizon of poetic possibilities through chiselled expression, tempered sentiments, and precise visual imagery" according to the scholar of Korean poetry, Brother Anthony.
Biography Cheong Chi-yong was born in Hagye-ri, Okcheon, Chungcheongbuk-do, on June 20, 1902. He attended Whimoon High School and graduated from Japan's Doshisha University with a major in English Literature. While studying at Whimoon High School, he published the literary magazine Bulletin (Yoram) with contemporaries like Park Palyang. In 1926, he began to concentrate exclusively on composing poetry, and his piece "Cafe France" (Kape peurangseu) was published in Hakjo magazine. Later in life, Jung was active as an associate of Pak Yong-chol's Poetry (Simunhak) magazine and taught at Whimoon High School. After Liberation, he taught at Ewha Womans University, edited the Kyunghyang Daily News, and was a member of the Central Executive Committee of the Korean Writers Federation (Joseon Munhakga dongmaeng). In 1950, at the onset of the Korean War, he was detained by the Government Preservation Department and then transferred to Pyongyang Prison, where he is believed to have died.
Work Cheong Chi-yong is considered among the most important poets to emerge from the modernist movement in Korea, he has been described as "the first modern Korean poet." In 2007, he was listed by the Korean Poets' Association among the ten most important modern Korean poets. His poetry can be divided into three stages. The first stage, which took place around 1925 to 1933, is characterized by the poet's sensual imagist work, which often focused on the sea.
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Important facts
People in Jeong Ji-yong's life
Named in this biography and alive at the same time
Contemporaries
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Frequently asked questions
Who was Jeong Ji-yong?
Korean poet
When was Jeong Ji-yong born?
Jeong Ji-yong was born on 20 June 1902 in Okcheon-eup.
When did Jeong Ji-yong die?
Jeong Ji-yong died on 25 September 1950 in Dongducheon.
What was Jeong Ji-yong's occupation?
Jeong Ji-yong was a poet.
What nationality was Jeong Ji-yong?
Jeong Ji-yong was Korean.
Sources & further reading
Cite this page
APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Jeong Ji-yong. https://biography.guide/jeong-ji-yong/
MLA: "Jeong Ji-yong." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/jeong-ji-yong/.
Chicago: "Jeong Ji-yong." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/jeong-ji-yong/.
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