Lee Won-su, writer of children's stories

Lee Won-su was born in Yangsan-si, Gyeongsangnam-do, but was raised in Masan. His father was a carpenter and he lived in the house built by his father. He attended the Seongho Elementary School in Masan.
Lee is the author of the famous children's poem, Spring in My Home Town. He wrote it when he was an elementary school student.
While in elementary school, he organized a group called the Children's Club. The club's members sang children's songs, danced and performed children's plays. The club was soon dissolved by the Japanese who learned that one of the club members expressed disapproval of Japanese people.
After the dissolution of the club, he became lonely, missing Yangsan-si, the place of his birth and childhood. In spring, he saw millions and millions of blossoms in the orchard on the mountain behind his school. This view and his longing to return to his hometown inspired him to write Spring in My Home Town. The poem was published in the magazine, Children, upon the recommendation of Bang Jung-hwan who instituted Children's Day (May 5) in Korea. Hong Nan-pa turned the poem into a song, which made the poem even more famous.
He made great achievements in children's literature. He wrote many long fairy tales and children's novels. He published A Place in the Forest in 1948, which was the first long fairy tale in Korea. He also contributed much work in children's literary criticism.
Masan residents erected the monument called Spring in My Home Town in Sanho Park to commemorate his love for children. He will always be remembered as a good friend of children through his poems, fairy tales, and novels.