Mr. Kang Byeong-Cheol is a Korean author, poet, translator, and holder of a Doctor of Philosophy in Political Science degree. He was born in Jeju
City, South Korea in 1964, and began his writing career in 1993. His first short story, “Song of Shuba,” was published when he was twenty-nine years old.
In 2005, Kang published a collection of short stories and has since won four literature awards, publishing over eight books in total. He was a member of The Writers in Prison Committee (WiPC) of PEN International from 2009 to 2014. From 2018 to 2022, he served as Secretary General of the Jeju Unification Education Center. Prior to that, he was a Specially Appointed Professor at Jeju International University from 2016 to 2018, a Research Professor at Chungnam National University National Defense Institute from 2013 to 2016, a Senior Researcher at the Society of Ieodo Research from 2010 to 2017, and CEO of Online News Media Jejuin News from 2010 to 2013.
Kang also works as an editorial writer for Jeminilbo, a newspaper in Jeju City, Korea. Currently, he holds the position of Vice President at The Korean Institute for Peace and Cooperation.
IF THE OCEAN WERE CALM
It would be nice if the ocean were calm,
but if it is still for too long, it may kill sea creatures.
Even if waves are paradoxical, life is full of paradoxes too.
If everything goes easy, we won’t have anything to learn.
As we age, our classmates drifted away,
and I feel like I’m just coasting through life.
We want to share the good times,
but avoid the tough ones.
Yet, life is always a process of learning.
Avoiding pain doesn’t teach us anything,
but overcoming it does make us realize something.
Diamonds are made under pressure.
The greatest glory comes from pain.
Listen to the lessons of those wise people who have gone before us,
and ask yourself in a whisper,
Are you a meek creature who succumbs to pain,
Or a victorious human who overcomes it?
Just as stars cannot shine without darkness,
Brilliant black pearls always overcome pain.
Prepared Angela Kosta Academic, journalist, writer, poet, essayist, literary critic, editor, translator,
