Born as a mare by the Caspian Sea
Born as a human in the Yenisei Valley , Siberia , a baby shaman
Innkeeper in an unknown land
Born in Samarkand , Central Aisa , mainly worked as a peddler
Born in Inner Mongolia , a shepherd boy
Born in Samjuyŏn, Chosŏn, a slash and burn farmer who played the flute.
Born in Ch'up'ungryŏng, Chosŏn, illiterate firewood gatherer.
Born in Dolsan Island, Yŏsu, monk without a teacher.
Born in Anmyŏn Island, a deaf farmhand who loved to drink too much.



Born in 1933 in the city of Kunsan in Korea’s North Cholla Province, when Korea was under Japanese rule.
He began to write poems. By the time he was eight, he had already studied classical Chinese texts that even much older children usually had difficulty in mastering. In 1942 when he was in grade three, his Japanese headmaster asked him what he hoped to become in the future and got the answer, ‘The Emperor of Japan.’ Ko Un was severely punished for this effrontery.
One day, on his way home from school, he picked up a book lying by the wayside.
It was the well-known leper-poet Han Ha-Un's Selected Poems. He stayed up all night reading it. He describes his reaction: 'My breast seemed torn apart by the force of the shock those lyrics produced on me'. He too wanted to become a leper-poet.

Teacher of Korean and Art, Kunsan Middle-School.
In June, when the Korean War broke out, he was forcibly mobilized by the People’s Army to repair the bomb-damaged runways of an air-force base.
His experience of fratricidal warfare effectively destroyed his rural childhood innocence, bringing him to the verge of mental breakdown, and to attempted suicides, which resulted in him losing the hearing in one ear.
Before the war was over, in 1952, he joined the Buddhist clergy and became the recognized disciple of the great monk Hyo Bong. For the next ten years he lived a life of Zen meditation, always on the move. He traveled the whole country, living by alms.
In 1957 he and another monk founded the Buddhist Newspaper.
As its first editor-in-chief, he began to publish essays and poems.

In 1958 he made his formal debut in the literary world, when his short poem "Tuberculosis" was published in the review Modern Poetry on the recommendation of the renowned poet Cho Chi-Hun.
Ko Un's first collection of youthful poems, Other World Sensibility, was published. By this time he had become quite well known, not only in Buddhist circles but also in literary ones. He had served as head priest of Chondung Temple, then education director and acting head of Haein Temple, and finally a member of the Central Committee of the National Monks' Association.

Many people were shocked when he published a Resignation Manifesto in the Hankook Ilbo and left the Buddhist community.
At this time he read Mikhail Sholokov's Quiet Flows the Don in Japanese translation, and according to him, this great Russian novel caused such a shock by its sheer magnitude and complexity that he burnt his accumulated manuscripts and fell into despair.

Went to the SouthSea for an attempt to commit suicide but failed. Instead, from 1963 until 1966 he lived on Cheju Island, off the south coast of Korea, managing a charity school where he was simultaneously headmaster, teacher of Korean and of art, working without pay.
Every day heavily drunk, suffering from severe insomnia.
Wrote a long poem, 'Nirvana'.
Published his second volume of poetry Seaside Poems: God, The Last Village of Languages (1966).
Returned to Seoul (1967). Began a famous period of nihilism marked by heavy drinking and self-torture, during which he wrote a musical script 'Han River', as well as novels and essays, until another suicide attempt in 1970. He was in a coma for thirty hours after taking poison before regaining consciousness in hospital.
Wrote a long poem ‘Sentence to Death’(1967).
Awakened to an awareness of the real state of the nation under dictatorship through the self-immolation of a laborer Chŏn Tae-Il(1970).
Published a long poem〈Sentence to Death〉(1967), Man is born to be Sad(1967), Things that Make Us Sad(1968), Senoya, Senoya(1969), Sunset on the G-string(1968), Where Shall We Meet Again? A Message of Despair(1970), An Era is Passing Through(1970).

Another great change occurred in Ko Un's career. Rejecting his reputation as a spokesman of Nihilism, he became a militant nationalist poet, actively involved in contemporary social and political events. Took a leading role in the drive against president Park Chung-Hee's plan to amend the Constitution to allow himself a third term in office. Continued to be actively involved in the seemingly endless Korean struggle for human rights and the labor movement.
1950s, he wrote biographies of a famous artist, A Critical Biography of Yi Joong-Sup, and of a celebrated poet, of the colonial period, A Critical Biography of Yi Sang.

When the Association of Writers for Practical Freedom was established in 1974, he became its first secretary-general. He was persecuted by the Korean Central Intelligence Agency, arrested many times and served several prison terms. First imprisonment (1974). Wrote a long poem 'The Continent'. Despite all those intense activities as a key figure for the Korean democracy movements, he kept writing and published prolifically: novels Eclipse(1974) and Little Pilgrim(1974), research books Bibliographical Introduction of Diamond Sutra(1976) and Intellectuals in Korea(1976); collections of poems On the Way to Munui Village(1977), Going into Mountain Seclusion(1977), Early Morning Road(1978), Children’s book, Sunset Glow on the River Ganges(1976), translations from the Chinese, Selected Poems of the Tang Dynasty(1974), and Selected Poems of TuFu(1974), Selected Poems by Kulwon(1975), and Selected Poems from The Book of Odes(1976); prose books For Disillusionment(1976), On a Secular Road(1977), With History, With Sorrow(1977), For Love(1978), For Truth(1978), For the Poor(1978), as well as a biography of the famous buddhist monk poet and independence activist, Biography of Han Yong-Un(1975), which has remained with two other biographies classics in the field.
First Secretary General of the Association of Artists for Practical Freedom and Representative of the National Association for the Recovery of Democracy(1974).
The first winner of "Korean Literature Prize"(1974).
Vice-Chairman of the Korean Assoication for Human Rights(1978).
Vice-Chairman of the Association of National Unity.
Second imprisonment. One eardrum permanently damaged during torture.
In October President Park was assassinated by the head of the KCIA.
Prose books, Penance on the Way to the Horizon and My Unnamable Spirituals.

The military imposed its will once again, and the rise of Chon Doo-Hwan culminated in a coup in May 1980, coinciding with the murderous repression of a popular struggle for democracy in the city of Kwangju.
Arrested, in May, on suspicion of high treason related to Kwnagju Democratization Movement. Third imprisonment.
Was severely tortured, court-martialed, and sentenced to years of imprisonment.
Set free by a general pardon on Liberation Day(August 15)

Again, his life took on a completely new shape. After 50 years of solitary life, on May 5, 1983 Ko Un married Lee Sang-Wha, a young professor of English Literature, and they went to live in the countryside at Ansong about two hours' drive from Seoul.
A collection of short stories, Night Tavern.
Collected Poems was published.
A collection of short stories, A Certain Boy
Cha-Ryong, his only daughter, was born.
Prose books Age of Despair and Hope and You and I on Earth.
With the move to Ansong, Ko Un's creative power entered a new phase of unparalleled productivity; numerous volumes of poetry, novels, and essays were published. He published more than 80 books during the 15 years from 1984 to 1999. A literary critic has called it 'a phenomenon' and 'a great explosion of poetry'.
Poetry books Pastoral Poems (1986), Fly High, Poem!(1986), The Person Who Should Leave(1986), My Evening(1988), Your Eyes(1988), A Big March on That Day(1988).
Novel September Illness(1988).
Prose book Flowers from Suffering(1986).
Literary citicism and research books Literature and People(1986), Poetry and Reality(1986), Leaves Out and Make Blue Mountains(1988), Autobiographies Són of Yellow Soil: My Childhood(1986); and several editions.
Began grand series of narrative poems, Ten Thousand Lives and published 9 volumes (1986-1994).
Began grand epic poem, Mount Paekdu and completed 7 volumes (1987-1994).
Complete Works(first series, 20 volumes) by Chung-Ha Publishers.
Awarded the first 'Korean Literature Prize'(1987).
Invited to attend several international conferences in Japan, Germany and the USA but he was refused a passport. Often under house arrest.
Co-representative of National Movement for National Constitution, and played a major role in the June Democratization Movement(1987).
Visited USA and Canada to give speeches with one-time passport(1987).
Vice-President of the reorganized Association of Writers for National Literature(1987).
Received Manhae Literature Award(1988).
Visited Japan with one-time passport(1988).
His works were forbidden to be translated into any foreign language.
President of Committee for South-North Writers Meeting.
Fourth imprisonment.
President of the Association of Korean Artists(1989-1990).
Awarded Manhae Prize in Literature(1989).
Ten Thousand Lives, vols. 7, 8, 9.
Prose books Correspondence from Ko Un, Wandering and Running at Full Speed
President of the Association of Writers for National Literature(1992-94)
Poetry books Morning Dew, For Tears, One Thousnad Years of Cry and Love: Lyrical Poems for Mountain Paekdu.
Literary criticism Twilight and Avant-Garde, History is Dreaming
Joined Allen Ginsburg for a joint poetry reading in Seoul
Poetry books Sea Diamond Mountain, What!(Sŏn Poems), Songs in the Street, Grand epic poem Mount Paekdu, vols. 3, 4.
Novel Garland Sutra.
Prose book How I wandered from Field to Field,
Awarded JoongAng Culture Prize.
Publication of first volume of poems translated into English, The Sound of My Waves (Cornell)
 
Invited to Sydney University and Yenching Institute of Harvard University to give speeches with one-time passport.
Traveled across Nepal, Srilanka, and India.
Poetry book Songs for Tomorrow.
Novels Their Field, The Desert I Made.
Pardoned and reinstated by the first civilian government and issued a regular passport for the first time.
First trip to Europe with his family.
Literary event 'Evening with Ko Un' at Yongang Hall to celebrate the 35 years of his writing.
Poetry books The Road Not Yet Traveled.
Prose books Meditation in th Wilderness, Truth Seeker, I Don't Want to Become Awakened.
Reasearch book Diamond Sutra I Go With.
Autobiographies I, Ko Un, vols. 1-3.
Travel book Trip to India.
Resident Professor, Graduate School of Kyonggi University, Seoul 1994-1998). Awarded Daesan Prize for Literature. Finished grand epic poem Mount Paekdu, vols. 5, 6, 7.
Invited to Berlin Free University to give speech and do poetry reading.
Visited France by the invitation of Foreign Ministry of France to give speeches, interviews and poetry readings. Featured in a French literary magazine.
Representative of Committee of National Liberation
Poetry book Dokdo Island
Novels, Chongsun Arirang, The Wanderer Poet Kim, vols. 1, 2, 3, Sŏn: a Novel, vols. 1, 2.
Invited to Sydney Writers' Festival. Australian edition of The sound of My Waves, Morning Dew was published.
Invited to 'Center 21', Osaka, Japan to do poetry reading and give speeches.
Book tour in 5 cities in Germany to promote his German poetry edition which was published by Suhrkamp, with many newspaper interviews.
Invited to Rotterdam Poetry International, Netherlands.
Poetry books A Memorial Stone, Ten Thousand Lives, vols. 1, 11, 12.
Poetry reading with American poet Gary Snyder in Berkeley, and a poetry reading at UC Berkeley with American Poet Laureate Robert Hass.
Invited to Guadalajara book Fair, Mexico to do poetry reading and interviews. Spent 40 days visiting Tibet, Mt. Khailas and the Himalayas.
Poetry books A Memorial Stone, Ten Thousand Lives, vols. 13, 14, 15. Prose book At the Living Plaza. Children's verse Songs for Cha-Ryong, children's book I am a Country Dog.
Visited North Korea for the first time for 15 days with government approval--the poem he wrote in North Korea was directly faxed to South Korea and published in a newspaper for the first time since the armistice in 1953.
'Mountains and Rivers, My Mountains and Rivers--Ko Un’s Poetry Reading' at Arts Center in Seoul for two evenings. Awarded Manhae Grand Prize. Poetry book Whisper.
Spent one year in the United States as a visiting research scholar at the invitation of the Yenching Institute of Harvard University. Wrote a Korean musical script 'Paekbum Kim Ku'. Gave a lecture series on Modern Korean Poetry for one term at UC, Berkeley. Invited to many universities in the USA and Canada to give speeches and poetry readings, including Hawaii University, Chicago University and New York University.
'Ko Un's Poetry Evening' events at Harvard University and in New York. Invited to read poetry at 'Neruda Poetry Reading', Guadalajara Book Fair, Mexico. Awarded Buddhist Literature Prize. Epic poem Far, Far Journey, Novel Sumi Mountain, vols. 1, 2. Travel book Mountains and Rivers, My Mountains and Rivers. Poetry essay book Morning with Poetry.
Read a Peace Poem at World Peace Summit at UN.
Visited North Korea as one of the special delegates for the inter-Korean Summit-read a poem written while in North Korea at the state banquet.
Participated in the forum for Korean Studies at Stockholm University and gave a talk and poetry reading at Götborg Book Fair, Sweden.
Invited to Cracow Poetry Festival, Poland.
Co-President of The National Trust of Korea.
Poetry books, South and North, Himalaya Poems
Invited to 'World Poets Day' which was organized by UNESCO and held in Athens, Greece, having poetry readings in Athens, Delphi, and Olympia.
Invited to 'World Academy of Poetry' which was held in Verona, Italy, as one of the 60 inaugurating members.
Invited to Bremen International Literature Forum, Germany.
Invited to International Poetry Festival of Medellin, Columbia.
Invited to give a speech at the Museum of Far Eastern Antiquities, Stockholm, and poetry reading at Götborg Book Fair, Sweden.
Invited to have poetry readings, interviews, talks at UC Davis, USA, by Gary Snyder as the first guest of Snyder-Soderquist Lecture Series; talks and poetry readings at UC Berkeley and UC Santa Cruz.
Invited to give a keynote speech at Tokyo International Book Fair by Fugiwara Publishers; interviews with 5 leading newspapers.
Invited to give a talk and poetry readings at the University of British Columbia.
Poetry book, Flowers of a Moment.
Prose collection, The Road Has Traces of Those Who Went Before
Invited to Prague Writers' Festival, Czech Republic; his article 'Poetry and Revolution' was published in the newspaper magazine.
Invited to the International Symposium for Creative Writing, Baikal University, Russia-keynote speech and poetry reading..
Invited to the 1st Asia-Pacific International Poetry Festival, Manila, Philippine-keynote speech and poetry reading.
'With Ko Un' at Frankfurt Book Fair, Germany.
Invited to give a lecture and poetry reading at Berlin Free University, Germany.
Invited to have a poetry reading at Moliere Theatre, Paris, by French Foreign Ministry.
Received Order of Merit for Culture (Silver Crown) from the Korean government.
Poetry books, Poetry Left Behind, Late Songs.
38-Volume Ko Un's Complete Works(Gimm-Young Publishers).
Prose book, Towards a Plaza
Organized the writers' Rally Against the Dispach of the Korean Troops to Iraq.
Directed International Peace Poetry Festival, sponsored by Manhae Foundation-invited poets from 20 countries had Peace Poem reading at Mt. Diamond, North Korea and in Seoul.
Poetry reading and lecture at the Symposium for Modern Korean Literature, organized by the Museum of Far Eastern Antiquities, Stockholm.
Invited to an international symposium for Literature and Environment-- organised by ASLE-Okinawa, Japan.
Keynote speech and interviews at the Korea-Japan Intellectual Forum, International Book Fair, Tokyo, Japan.
Poetry reading at Paris University 7 and poetry recording at Radio France Culture, France.
Invited to the 3rd Berlin Literature Festival, Germany.
Chairman of South & North Korea Writers's Conference.
President of Korean Literature Peace Forum-'Peace Literature Festival'
Invited to give a poetry readings at Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington D.C. and at Yenching Institute, Harvard University, USA.
Traveled the Adalucian cities in Spain.
'Literary Evening with Ko Un' at Culture and Arts Theater, Seoul.
Poetry reading and talk at University of Salamanca, Spain.
Poetry reading and speeches for the Spanish edition of Ten Thousand Lives in Madrid and Barcelona, Spain.
Invited to the 17th Ardentissima International Poetry Festival in Murcia and at Cordoba Book Fair, Spain.
Wrote a libretto 'Dangun' (the Founding Father of the Korean nation).
Lecture and poetry reading at 1st Korean-Italian Literature Forum in Venice.
Awarded Danjae Prize.
Ten Thousand Lives, vols. 16-20.
Visited North Korea twice as President of the Joint South-North Editorial Committee for the Compilation of Grand Korean Dictionary.
Visited North Korea as President of South-North Writers' Conference to hold the first-ever meeting of 300 South-North Korean Writers.
Wrote a Pansori(Korean traditional theatrical song) lyric 'Invocation of the Spirits of the Dead'.
Poetry readings in Jena and at Leipzig Book Fair, Germany.
Made a presentation at the International Literature Festival, organized by Daesan Foundation.
Invited to do poetry readings, lectures, interviews, and conversations in several cities in Japan.
Invited to the 3rd Poetry Festival Berlin, Germany.
Invited to do poetry readings and talks at the 14th Bjornson Literature Festival, Molde, Norway.
Lecture and poetry reading at University of Oslo, Norway.
Invited to the 5th Berlin Literature Festival, Germany.
'Literary Speech' at the opening ceremony and poetry readings at the Frankfurt Book Fair, Germany.
Awarded Björnson Order for Literature at Björnson Literature Festival in Molde, Norway.
Awarded Unification Award.
Visited North Korea several times as President of Compliation Committee for the Korea Grand Dictionary
Visited North Korea with South Korean writers to have the first-ever poetry reading with North Korean writers at Mt. Paekdu.
Book tour for the Italian edition of Flowers of a Moment in Rome, Florence, Milan, and Formia, Italy.
Poetry readings and speeches at University of Bordeau and at Paris Book Fair, France.
Book tour for the English poetry book Three Way Tavern across the USA.
Talks and poetry reading at American PEN International, World Voices, The New York Festival of International Literature, and at the 50th anniversary of Allen Ginsberg's Howl, USA.
Invited to Parma International Poetry Festival, Italy.
Invited to the Geraldine R. Dogdge International Poetry Festival in New Jersey--poetry readings and talks as one of the Featured Poets.
Poetry reading and talk at Washington University, St. Louis, USA.
Poetry reading at Harvard University, USA.
Awarded the 3rd Cikada Prize, a Swedish Literary Prize.
Ten Thousand Lives, vols. 21-23.
Poetry book Full of Shame.
Visited North Korea several times as President of Compilation Committee for the Grand Korean Dictionary.
Keynote speech and poetry readings at the 1st Korean-Mongol Symposium for Eurasian Cultural Network at MIU(Mogol International University) in Ulanbataar, Mongolia.
Invited as a Special Guest to International PEN Asia and Pacific Regional Conference in Hong Kong--poetry reading.
Talk and poetry readings at ARCO in Madrid and at University of Malaga, Spain.
Keynote speech at the 2nd International Colloquium on France and East Asia, organised by The Intellectuals of 21st Century, Tokyo, Japan.
Invited to give a keynote speech and poetry reading at Literature and Environment: Korea-Japan ASLE Joint Symposium, Kanazawa, Japan .
Awarded Young-Rang Literature Prize.
Ten Thousand Lives, vols. 24-26.
Prose Book, A Dialect in the Universe.
President of the Manhae Literature Festival. Member of the Advisory Board for Unification of the Unification Ministry.
Made a keynote speech 'I denounce the name The Third World' at the 1st AALF (Asia Africa Literature Festival) held in Korea.
Chaired meetings both in South and North Korea as President of the Compilation Committee for the Grand Korean Dictionary.
Poetry reading and talk at the Asian Literature Festival organised and held at House of World Culture, Berlin, Germany.
Book tour for Beim Erwachen aus dem Schlaf in Gottingen, Erfurt, and Leibzig.
Poetry reading at the Korean Cultural Centre UK (London) as its first literary event.
Awarded Lifetime Achievement Prize by the Griffin Fund for Excellence in Poetry.
Yusim(Mind) Literature Prize.
Included in the 2008 Year Book of the Encyclopedia Britanica (pp. 84-5).
Made a keynote speech at the Manhae International Literature Festival.
Poetry book Empty Space published by Changbi to celebrate the 50th anniversary of his official debut as a poet. The celebrations continued from the end of August until early December: an art exhibition at the Korea Foundation Cultural Center with readings of Ko Un's poems by 10 ambassadors to Korea in 10 different languages; talks, interviews, forums, and seminars at several universities and in several cities.
Korea Academy of Arts Award.
Featured in the weekly literature magazines, the Iraqi AL ADEEB and the Egyptian AL ARABI.
Continued to work as President of the South-North Compilation Committee of Grand Korean Dictionary
Resident Poet Professor at Dangook University.
Included in 2009 Marquis Who's Who.
Prose book Forest of Ideas.