[Photo] Ko Un exhibition room at Seoul Library closes down

Staff at the Seoul Library closed the Maninbo (“10,000 lives”) exhibition room dedicated to the poet Ko Un on Mar. 12 less than four months after it opened. The exhibition room, which was named after Ko’s famous work, “Maninbo: Peace and War,” had featured personal donations including the poet’s writing desk, bookshelf, clothing, and glasses. Ko, who had been touted as a candidate for the Nobel Peace Prize in Literature, has suffered a dramatic fall from grace since he was accused of rape by female poet Choi Young-mi in February. The accusations against Ko are part of the larger #MeToo movement which has rocked South Korean society in recent months. (by Baek So-ah, staff photographer)