A Study on the Written Writers of Independent Literature

Abstract

There are two theories about the lyricist of A framed picture written on the south and north sides of Independence Gate. It was written by Lee Wan-yong(1858-1926), who was patriotic but degenerated into a traitor, and by Dongnong Kim Ga-jin(1846-1922), who devoted himself to modernization of Joseon and campaigned for independence until he turned his back on the world. Independence Gate is a national monument modeled after the Arc de Triomphe in Paris in the form of a 14.2m high and 11.48m wide stone gate that greeted the envoys of Cheong since the Independence Association advocated the construction of Independence Gate in 1896. The south side of Independence Gate is engraved in Korean, and The north side is engraved with three letters of Independence Gate in Chinese characters. As both Lee Wan-yong and Kim Ga-jin were known as the best handwritings of the time, it is highly likely that they wrote the compilation of the Independence Gate. In addition, Lee Wan-yong was the chairman of the Independent Association and the foreign minister of the Joseon government at the time of the establishment of the Independent Gate, and Kim Ga-jin was also a member of the Independent Association and a high-ranking official of Joseon. Therefore, it is considered reasonable to interpret the answer to who wrote the compilation of the independent text in a calligraphy manner through the genuine enemies left by Lee Wan-yong and Kim Ga-jin. Therefore, this paper analyzes the calligraphy context of Lee Wan-yong and Kim Ga-jin and the font characteristics of similar handwriting left by them based on two different theories about independent writers.