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Ha Seung-moo (born October 13, 1963; also spelled Ha Seung moo) is a South Korean poet, Presbyterian minister, seminary professor, and theologian.
Ha was born on October 13, 1963, in Sacheon, South Korea. Ha is the grandson of Sir Ha Yeon, who is the twenty-first grandson of Joseon's most notable Yŏngŭijŏng (prime minister).[1]
After his basic education, Ha began to read modern literature. He was motivated by a bookseller who visited the school and purchased a series of books on modern Korean literature. Thereafter, readings of Korean literature sparked his interest in writing and philosophy. In this process, Ha began to question humanity and thing-in-itself. During the high school years, Ha's spiritual journey continued. He pursued truth, the meaning of life and humanity in Buddhism, Hinduism and other major religions. In this spiritual journey, he read many western philosophical classics.
Ha was influenced by the works of Sigmund Freud, Carl Gustav Jung, Immanuel Kant and Søren Kierkegaard. Ha experienced spiritual progression recognizing the importance and meaning of human existence, and the 'despair' of Kierkegaard and the 'reason' of Kant became a less serious issue to his life and study. At the end of 12th grade, Ha had a mystical religious experience that made him confess that God is the only answer to his quest for meaning. Ha then became a Christian.[2][3]
His poetry became an artistic stimulus for artists in parts of England and America.[4]
Ha became a Presbyterian minister and a professor of historical theology at Korea Presbyterian Theological Seminary. He teaches Biblical Exposition. Ha established Korea Presbyterian Church and the Korea Presbyterian Seminary, serving as Pastoral General, Christian education, Missions etc., at his own expense. Ha presented the historical point of view of the Original orthodox Church, describing how the confession of faith and the historical context coincide.[5] Ha is a poet, and a reformist theologian. He debuted as a poet by the recommendation of fellow poet Park Jaesam and two others in Hankyoreh Literature Magazine in 1994.
Ha began to write poems in Han-Kyoreh Literature (한겨레문학). His poem "Recollections of Homo Sapiens" (호모사피엔스의 기억) introduced him to the public. Ha's work faced difficulties, because it conflicted with traditional Korean literature. Nonetheless, Korean writers and poets generally admired his poetic work.[12][13][14]
Source:[15]
Park Jaesam is a representative of Korea-specific mentality. He evaluated Ha in the examination Review. He found that while Ha's poetry has a deep inner world, life and death, reality and ideal, metaphysics and metaphysics, and self-determination are dominant. He stated, "Super aesthetic psalm is a manifestation of his poems, and a critical approach is difficult if you do not understand the symbolism of religion and aesthetics to interpret such works." Prof. Kyung-Soo Yoon, among the critics of Ha's poetry, the peculiar one is deepening the symbolic systems of the surreal tendency of Yi Sang (Kim Hae-Kyung) poet, His unique poetical style is considered to be reasonable to see in terms of the mystical experiences and spiritual aspirations that have returned to Christianity. Since 1994, he announced at the time, such as newspapers, magazines, etc. and has become rather widely known to the general reader rather than a literary background. In particular, while a Christian, religion without being bound to the Christian poetry style, semiotics, and embody the poetic image to deepen the symbolic system of aesthetics. His poems "The sixth tailbone of the Cenozoic era", "The perspiration from the sun comes out" have appeared well. In the 2000s after is, the poem "Songs of Wildflowers" depicting the lyricism by intuition and There is a "The story of an elephant's hand expelled by the sky", which can be said to be poetry that first introduced allegorical techniques to the work of poetry. Other common collaborative poetry books are "There is no way to nostalgia" (Bichnam, 1996), "The Southern Poetry" (Busan Poets' Association, 1999), "Flowers bloom, On the bluestem" (Jaggadeul, 2006), "Seihangobi. (Jaggadeul, 2008), "Forest of Sosa Tree" (Jaggadeul, 2011), "My poetry I choose" (Chaegmandeuneun Jib, 2012). In recent years, Byeon Uisu literary critic wrote Ha Seungmoo's poetry world, and in his special review commented on poetic excellence:[16]
Immanuel Kant thought that he gained knowledge based on time and space. and Albert Einstein thought that there would be no time beyond the speed of light. of course, "time" of Kant is psychological, and Einstein's "time" is relative. but, in the strict sense that time does not exist as an objective entity, is Kant or Einstein's proposition ultimately an imperfect wisdom of "99.9%" rather than "100%"? Ha Seung-moo evokes the problem of the essentially axioms of the 'Sophist type' of language. The river of time never flows, says time exists. The wisdom of the human writes the "Critique of Pure Reason", however, discuss the conversion of time and space. But poet say that people don't spend the time they think they do. These views of the Ha poet are extraordinary.
Ha Seung-moo's literary thought is shaped by his unique background as a poet, a theologian, and a student of Eastern and Western philosophy. His writing, especially his poetry, is deeply spiritual and philosophical, exploring themes of human existence, spiritual journey, and the limits of human knowledge. Critics note that his work can be considered "extraordinary" and in conflict with some aspects of traditional Korean literature.
Ha's literary thought emerged from a deep personal and spiritual quest for the meaning of human existence, which he pursued through his study of literature, philosophy, and religion. A search for meaning: After reading modern Korean literature, Ha developed an interest in writing and philosophy and began questioning humanity and the "thing-in-itself" (the true nature of an object, independent of human perception). Influence of Western philosophy: During high school, he read the works of Western philosophers, including Sigmund Freud, Carl Gustav Jung, Immanuel Kant, and Søren Kierkegaard. Integration of Eastern and Western thought: He also explored major Eastern religions such as Buddhism and Hinduism. Ultimately, Ha's quest for meaning was resolved in his Christian faith, which became the central influence on his literary and theological worldview.
A key aspect of Ha's literary thought is his skepticism regarding humanistic knowledge, reason, and language. The flawed nature of language: According to critic Byeon Uisu, Ha's poetry "evokes the problem of the essentially axioms of the 'Sophist type' of language". Ha challenges the notion that language can fully capture reality. Questioning philosophical wisdom: Byeon points to the limitations of human wisdom, contrasting the philosophical and scientific understanding of time. He cites Kant's psychological time and Einstein's relative time, suggesting that both are imperfect because time, strictly speaking, does not exist as an objective entity. Challenging perception: Ha's work suggests that people are mistaken about their perception of time, exemplified by the line, "The river of time never flows, says time exists".
For Ha Seung-moo, literature is not merely a human endeavor but a way to reveal profound spiritual truths. Revelation over humanism: While his work can be admired from a purely literary perspective, his underlying theological thought, the "Orthodox-faith View of Church History," is founded on biblical teachings and a salvific confession of faith. This suggests his writing seeks to express and explore spiritual truths rather than arriving at conclusions through humanistic reasoning alone. Poetry as a divine answer: Ha's literary trajectory suggests his poetry became a form of artistic expression for his conviction that "God is the only answer to his quest for meaning". His poem "Recollections of Homo Sapiens" is a key example of his work that introduced this perspective. Conflict with literary tradition: Because of its deep spiritual and philosophical core, Ha's literary work initially faced difficulties and conflicted with aspects of traditional Korean literature.
Prof. Ha Seung-moo developed the Orthodox-faith View of Church History, a methodology for interpreting Christianity based on the salvific faith of the early church rather than humanistic approaches. As a Presbyterian minister and professor, he posits that all historical church developments and denominational divisions must be judged by their alignment with biblical authority and the original orthodox confession of faith.
Prof. Ha Seung-moo view is founded on biblical teachings and the "salvific confession of faith" passed down from the early church. He rejects humanistic historiographical methods, including those used by Roman Catholics and some Protestants, in favor of a biblical foundation. His approach seeks to create a coherent historical narrative that connects the early church to the present and future. Ha asserts that traditional church organizations, doctrines, and historical traditions should not be the interpretive standard if they do not align with the early church's confession of faith. Redefining Christian denominations Ha's historiography re-evaluates how Christian denominations are understood within church history. He criticizes the term "Protestant" as a humanistic label that originated with the Roman Catholic Church and inappropriately groups the reformers with later denominations. He defines the true Orthodox Church or Reformed Church as one that adheres to the early church's confession and the spirit of the Reformation. In this view, Roman Catholicism is considered a branch of Christianity that has deviated from the true historical Catholic Church of the early era.