Choe Namseon

Choe Nam-seon (1890–1957), known by the pen name Yukdang, was a writer and historian who made major contributions to the development of modern Korean literature. He pioneered the "new-style poetry" (sinchesi) that opened the way for modern Korean verse, and in 1919 he drafted the Declaration of Independence, giving written form to the spirit of the March First Movement. In the later years of Japanese colonial rule, however, his pro-Japanese activities left him mired in controversy over apostasy, making him a figure whose achievements and failings are sharply divided.