The teacher of thought who first taught us how to 'think and resist'
Bringing Lee Young-hee back to our lives and memories

The 15th anniversary of the passing of Lee Young-hee, a teacher of the times.

Hwang Seok-yeong, Jeong Ji-ah, Yu Hong-jun, Baek Nak-cheong, etc.
Those who encountered him in their own way brought out
The appearance of 'the person Lee Young-hee'

December 5th marks the 15th anniversary of the passing of Lee Young-hee (1929-2010), a benefactor of our time's thought who, as a journalist, critic, and scholar, provided a vital voice for society throughout his life.
In an age devoid of worthy role models, how is Lee Young-hee remembered in society, and should she be remembered? "Me and Lee Young-hee" is a compilation of memoirs from 32 individuals, based on articles published in the Lee Young-hee Foundation's newsletter since 2022.
Representative writers and scholars of this era, including Hwang Seok-yeong, Jeong Ji-ah, Yu Hong-jun, and Baek Nak-cheong, look back on their memories of Lee Young-hee from their own perspectives and interests.
He reveals how he influenced his own life and how reading Lee Young-hee's writings taught him a perspective on society by observing how he stood in solidarity with the vulnerable and defended justice even while imprisoned.
Another interesting aspect of this book is that it richly depicts the human side of Lee Young-hee, which was previously unknown.

Even when he suffered from paralysis in part of his body due to the aftereffects of a stroke, he sent letters of encouragement to his juniors in crooked handwriting, always showed solidarity with the socially disadvantaged, and was not stingy in admitting his errors in judgment.
He did not hide his desire to escape from his daily life by secretly boarding a light aircraft without his wife's knowledge, and he even showed a childlike smile at the antics of his juniors who came to visit him in the hospital.

The authors carefully drew out the memories they had kept deep in their hearts and wrote them down.
I hope that this book, a collection of countless afterimages, will reveal the complete picture of 'the person Lee Young-hee' like a pointillist painting.
I hope that the teacher can approach the general public with a friendly, human touch, rather than as a stern intellectual with a brooding expression who spends all day in agony.
If readers savor the various aspects of pointillism and combine their own judgments, they will be able to draw their own unique portraits of Lee Young-hee.
--- From "Kim Hyo-sun - Opening a Book"

It is said that when Mr. Ryu Chun-do met Mr. Lee Young-hee, he asked her to be his 'friends'.
Teacher Lee Young-hee's answer was, "Let's be comrades, not friends."
Why was it "comrade" instead of "friend"? Our generation, having never used the word "comrade," will never understand its meaning.
Comrade is an old saying and more friendly.
For these two people, whose lives were distorted because they could not ignore the injustice they witnessed in the past, the word "comrade" seems more appropriate than "friend."
From 2005 until 2008, when Ryu Chun-do passed away, the two exchanged several letters.
--- From "Jeong Ji-ah - Those Who Did Not Surrender: Lee Young-hee and Ryu Chun-do"

Before the event began, an official from Chongryon (General Association of Korean Residents in Japan) came to see the teacher, accompanied by a reporter from the Chosun Sinbo.
“I am well aware of the brilliant achievements of Mr. Lee Young-hee, who led the struggle for democracy in South Korea.
(…) Now, if you speak well to this Chosun Sinbo reporter, you will become famous in the Korean community.” The teacher immediately became serious and rebuked him.
“I’m not the kind of person who has lived my whole life thinking about making a name for myself.
That's not the kind of person who has lived like that.
“I don’t care about that.” Then he looked straight ahead and shut his mouth.
For a while, no one there said anything.
As if trying to break the awkward silence, the Chongryon official spoke again.
“That Chosun Sinbo is a newspaper with great influence in the Korean community…” The teacher spoke as if talking to himself without even looking at the person speaking.
“Things that have never fought against power….”
--- From "Jeong Byeong-ho - It's also Lee Seong-do's nature!"

When I met the teacher somewhere, I greeted him by saying, "I enjoy reading your writing." The teacher immediately asked, "Tell me which writing and what content you liked."
For a moment, my thoughts were blocked and no answer came to me.
Looking back on the situation later, I thought about why I was so speechless when I could have said anything since I had read a lot of the teacher's writing.
--- From "Jeong Geon-hwa - Lee Young-hee and Jeong Do-yeong, My Memories"

As materialism becomes rampant and the rise of a new power elite further spreads the worship of power, we are entering a world where the socially disadvantaged are becoming exhausted.
Who, and how, will raise the flag again and light the fire again? These are times when we miss even more the memory of Lee Young-hee, who devoted herself to the fight against idols.

--- From "Kim Se-gyun - We live in an age where we miss teacher Lee Young-hee again"