Lee O-young

Lee O-young (also known as Lee Eo-ryeong, Yi O-young, or Yi O-yŏng; ; 15 January 1934 – 26 February 2022) was a South Korean critic and novelist.

Life and career Lee O-young was born on 15 January 1934, (other sources say 29 December 1933)

He died from cancer on 26 February 2022, at the age of 88.

Work Lee was one of the most prominent figures to emerge from the "post-war generation" of Korean critics. Making his mark with his first piece of literary criticism, "Lee Sang non" ("On Lee Sang", 1955), he caused a stir in literary circles with his next essay, "Usang eui pagoe" ("Destruction of an Idol"), published in Hankook Ilbo in 1956. At a time when the war experience seemed to have devastated the literary imagination as well, Lee argued for the expansion and enrichment of Korean literature in articles that featured considerable rhetorical sophistication and verve.

Contribution to South Korea's Informatization In the early 1990s, Lee played a foundational role in transitioning South Korea into the digital age through his intellectual vision. Working in close partnership with his long-time intellectual companion Ahn Byung-hoon, they co-conceived the influential slogan, "Industrialization was late, but let us lead in informatization" (Korean: 산업화는 늦었지만 정보화는 앞서가자). While Lee provided the core philosophical ideas regarding the digital transition, Ahn coined the specific slogan and utilized the media power of The Chosun Ilbo to transform it into a massive national campaign. This collaboration is credited with raising public awareness and pressuring the government to prioritize high-speed internet infrastructure, eventually helping South Korea become a global IT powerhouse.

Literary works Translated works The General's Beard

Works in Korean (partial) Critical collections Jeohang eui munhak (Literature of Resistance, 1959) Jeonhu munhag eui saemulgyeol (The New Wave of Postwar Literature) Tonggeum sidae eui munhak (Literature in the Age of Curfew) Fiction Janggun eui suyeom (The General's Beard) Amsalja (The Assassin) Jeonjaeng Dekameron (Wartime Decameron) Hwangag eui dari (Phantom Legs) Essays Heuk soge jeo baram soge (In This Earth & In That Wind: This Is Korea, 1963) Sin han kuk in (New Korean, 1986) Chook so ji hyange ilbonin (Japanese people who are scaled down, 2008) Digilog (digilog, 2006) Jisunge Osolgil (The path of the intellect, 2004) Jisung esu youngsung euro (From intellect to spirituality, 2017)

Received awards Lee has won a variety of Korean awards. 1979: Korean Award for Culture and Art 1992: Award for Design Culture of Japan 1996: 24th Award of Japan for International Exchange 2001: Cultural Award of Seoul (서울시문화상, 문학부문) 2003: 48th Award of the Korean Council for Art (제48회 대한민국 예술원상, 문학부문) 2007: 2nd Mask of Respect Award 2007: Samil Prize (3·1문화상) 2009: 2nd Grand Award for Korean People, category for literature 2009: International Masaoka Shiki Award 2011: 20th Sochung Saseon Culture Award, special award 2011: 24th Christian Culture Award, special award in literature