서울 아버님

서울 아버님 is a poet who specialises in rediscovering old words that have fallen out of use. He's published some books and won an award a few years ago.

He's best known in Insa-dong, which has become Seoul's cultural centre in recent years and is a big draw for tourists. Behind the shops selling assorted bric-a-brac, there's a strong community of artists. 김두환선생님 writes poetry five days a week in an office adjacent to the SK Construction building just off Insa-dong's main street. His contemporaries do the paintings, calligraphy, framing and screen-making to make the finished works. At least, that's what they do when they're not at a local 술집 downing 고량주.

He's been a fixture in Insa-dong since forever. In the 1960's, the site now occupied by the SK Construction building was a plush marriage hall where he married. Forty years later, the local council has asked to use his poem 인사동 거리 on a stone tablet by the side of the main street. It's at that little performance area near the 종로 end of the street (opposite from the 안국동 end):