Draft:NAMDASHI

NAMDASHI

Literary Coterie Trip to Dokdo in the East Sea, 2023
Formation	2018
Founder	Lee Seo-bin
Type	Literary group
Purpose	Environmental poetry
Location	South Korea
Official language	Korean

NAMDASHI is a South Korean literary group that focuses on creating poetry centered on environmental issues. The name "Nam-da-shi" (남다시) is an abbreviation of a Korean phrase meaning poetry writing different from others," reflecting the group's emphasis on originality in both theme and expression. The group was formed around the poet Lee Seo-bin, and has contributed a weekly environmental poetry column to the Yeongju Newspaper since 2014. Although the members are not trained environmental specialists, their work consistently addresses topics such as climate change, local ecology, and nature conservation. Their exclusive focus on environmental themes in poetry is considered a relatively uncommon approach in contemporary South Korean literature.

Ban Kyeong-hwan, a South Korean publisher and literary critic, has described the group as notable for its thematic consistency and experimental nature. He noted that although the members are not environmental experts, their sustained focus on a single subject creates creative constraints that help define their literary identity. He added that such an approach is "unusual and by no means easy."

Activity

Since its establishment in 2014, NAMDASHI has focused on the creation of environmental poetry and literary exchange. According to the group’s introduction materials, its regular activities include biweekly meetings on the humanities, monthly literary trips across South Korea, and workshops dedicated to the creation and sharing of environmentally themed poems.

In recent years, NAMDASHI has also introduced multilingual poetry collections as part of its international outreach. The group states that translated works have been shared with environmental organizations in various countries and that it has received responses from some of these organizations. Examples of these materials are archived through its internal channels.

Team Structure

Leadership

Lee Seo-bin is the founder and current leader of NAMDASHI. She made her literary debut in 2014 by receiving the Dong-A Ilbo Literary Award(Shinchunnmunnye; "New Year's Literary Competition"), one of South Korea’s long-standing literary honors. For over a decade, Lee has been teaching humanities and ethics to members of the group and is also involved in promoting the Korean script (Hangul) internationally. Her integration of environmental themes into poetry is described by the group as a key aspect of its mission.

Membership

NAMDASHI consists of poets who are involved in environmentally themed poetry. While the broader group includes many members, 15 contributors are selected for each official environmental poetry collection. If any of the selected poets are unable to participate in a given volume, alternative contributors are chosen.

Environmental Poetry Collections of Selected Poet

Members in uniform during a poetry event

• Geul Ro-byeol (Kim Il-soon) <I, II, III, IV, V>
• Geul Vinna (Kim Mi-suk) <I, II, III, IV, V>
• Geul Nara (Jang Joung-hi) <II, III, IV, V>
• Geul Bora (Park Mi-ra) <II, III, IV, V>
• Jung Gu-min <I, II, III, IV, V>
• Geul Garam (Ahn Tae-hee) <I, II, III, IV, V>
• Lee Seo-bin <I, II, III, IV, V>
• Lee Jin-jin (Lee Jin-sook) <I, II, III, IV, V>
• Woo Jae-ho <I, II, III, IV, V>
• Kwon Teak-yong <I, II, III, IV, V>
• Ko Yun-ok <I, II, III, IV, V>
• Choi Yi-geun <I, II, III, IV, V>
• Se Jeong (Lee Jung-hwa) <I, II, III, IV, V>
• Lee Ock (Lee Ock-hee) <I, II, III, IV, V>
• Jang Jin (Jang Jin-gil)
• Geul E-rang (Kim Jeong-o) <II, III>
• Son Sun-hee (Son Young-ja) <IV, V>

Current Members (as of 2025)

The following are the current active members of NAMDASHI as of 2025: [[File:Namdashi_Casual_Group_Photo.jpg|thumb|Current NAMDASHI members during a group outing (2025)]

• Lee Seo-bin
• Geul Garam (Ahn Tae-hee)
• Lee Ock (Lee Ock-hee)
• Geul Ro-byeol (Kim Il-soon)
• Jung Gu-min
• Geul Nara (Jang Joung-hi)
• Lee Jin-jin (Lee Jin-sook)
• Geul Vinna (Kim Mi-suk)
• Kwon Teak-yong
• Choi Yi-geun
• Ko Yun-ok
• Se Jeong (Lee Jung-hwa)
• Geul Bada (Lee Jung-hwa)
• Woo Jae-ho
• Jang Jin (Jang Jin-gil)

Additional information regarding the publication history and the contents of each volume can be found in the section: Published Books.

Published books

Since 2022, NAMDASHI has released a multilingual environmental poetry series featuring translations from Korean into Swedish and English. The publications reflect the group's ongoing focus on environmental themes in literature.

Copies of the series are archived at the National Library of Sweden (Kungliga biblioteket).

Swedish editions

1. Tillsammance, Ull-Keok (ISBN 9789188823472) – Libris entry
2. Långdens Sorg, Ull-Keok (ISBN 9789188823656) – Libris entry
3. Kalla Kårar, Deolkeok (ISBN 9789188823687) – Libris entry
4. Gråter, Deolkeok or Gråter, Saeparahge (ISBN 9789188823717) – Libris entry
5. Ttaggeum Ttaggeum, Seulpeum Dagen (ISBN 9789188823717) – Libris entry

English editions (mixed versions)

1. Together, Ull-Keok (ISBN 9789188823472)
2. The Sadness of Length, Ull-Keok (ISBN 9789188823656)
3. Chills, Deolkeok (ISBN 9789188823687)
4. Crying, Deolkeok or Crying, Saeparahge (ISBN 9789188823717)
5. Ttaggeum Ttaggeum, Seulpeum Day (ISBN 9789188823717)

Published poetry collections by NAMDASHI (2022–2024)'

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Translators

• Gabriel Gomer – M.A. in Scandinavian Linguistics from Uppsala University; freelance translator and systems administrator.
• Heather Hyekyun Noh – B.A. in Sociology from Yonsei University; freelance translator and ceramics student based in Gustavsberg.
• Won Sook – M.A. student in Scandinavian Studies at Uppsala University.

Planning and editorial

Angsi Kwak – Korean novelist and editor based in Sweden. She is the founder of the Society & Culture Lab (Korean: 열린사회문화연구소), a nonprofit organization registered in South Korea. Her works are held in international library systems, including the Harvard Library and Sweden’s LIBRIS catalog.

Contributor to

• Donga Ilbo (South Korea, 2002) [in Korean]
• Västerbottens-Kuriren (Sweden, 2014) [in Swedish]
• Munhwa Ilbo (South Korea, 2014) [in Korean]
• Mediapen (South Korea, 2021) [in Korean]

Other activities

Germany: Collaboration with Essen Hangeul School

The Essen Hangeul School is a weekend Korean language institution located in Germany, organized by members of the local Korean community. It provides language and cultural education programs for children and adolescents. The school receives funding and institutional support from the Overseas Koreans Foundation, a public agency under the Government of the Republic of Korea.

In 2025, the school incorporated environmental poetry by the literary group NAMDASHI into its cultural curriculum. The program featured poetry recitation and calligraphy workshops conducted by Inra Kim Talhoff, a calligraphy instructor based in Germany.

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  The Calligraphy class with Namdassi's environmental poetry
• A scene from reading Namdassi's Hangeul version environmental poetry

Sweden & Korea: design and recycling projects

DESIGNTOCTOC has stated that it carried out a project titled "Recycling Cup Sharing," which involved distributing reusable cups through a free postal initiative. According to the group, some of its activities are also connected to art exhibitions and performance events.

External links

• Harvard Library catalog entry for "Forest of Conscience"
• LIBRIS catalog entry – National Library of Sweden
• Ministry of Culture nonprofit registry – Open Society & Culture Lab
• Västerbottens-Kuriren article featuring Angsi Kwak (2014, in Swedish)