Ch’upung-nyŌng/ Heights

‘The heights where the clouds sleep over and the winds repose. Woeful and manifold tales on it’s every meandering paths. How nostalgic, in looking back, the past is! Wrinkled and the misty eyed by now. Even the train whistles puff and wail on the long and steely railroad. The rueful departure that gets into the deep bone, and the tears roll down the face. How nostalgic, in looking back, the past of the Heights is!’

Music lovers surely have different taste on each either classical, Korean pops, folk songs or Western pops in line with their emotional attachment. Korean pop songs were I was growing up with as they were usually on the radio whether I liked or not. But, my music appreciation really kicked off when the folk songs by guitar players and Western pops were introduced through the air and I was turning into a teenager then.

All of a sudden, recently, the old Korean pops popped into my head that urged me to listen to. It must’ve been the old age that triggered and broadened the reminiscence of my olden days and emotional attachment. HG Kwon, CR Pak, HJ Choe, Johnny Li, KT O, SG Nam, M HyŌn, Patty Kim, CJ Kim etc. who were the popular artists in those days. I started playing their records on Youtube one by one. It was such a welcoming nostalgia like a reunion with old friends that peeling off all those memories of my younger days. I was even able to be critical on each of their vocal quality and choice of records.

While rediscovering all those records, Ch’upung-nyŌng/ Heights by SG Nam struck me for some reason and embedded into my heart although there were many other songs which were more sentimental with moving lyrics. The geographical name of Ch’upung-nyŌng/ Heights was, I only learned at school and it’s divisional importance in the battle of Imjinwaeran when Japan invaded Korea in 1592. I personally don’t have any close reasoning or connection to why it got stuck in my mind.

I once passed it’s station on a train journey by Seoul-Pusan Line at night and am now pining to visit it like home-coming after a long absence. The old and historical tales of the song which were woeful and manifold on it’s every meandering paths which seem to have become my mission to discover and reveal. Someone said, “There’s nothing special, but a memorial tower and just it’s name”. It may be the fact that is quite different from what I have imagined but have determined to go and see with my own eyes and feel the place. It’ll be a pilgrimage of my own and a song to Ch’upung-nyŌng.

Back in my old Army days, one day, Yi, KS who was a lanky but tallish rookie joined my section. I asked him where he was from. He answered empathically, “I’m from Yongdong where Ch’upung-nyŌng is situated”. I can see his anxious face but bright when answered.