Reminiscences

Now published as a Kyobo e-book.

Get your full copy from kyobobook.co.kr

As I reflect on my eventful life in the twilight of my life, I pen these remembrances with a deep self-reflection and hope that it will be of some help to future generations of readers.  I have divided the times I have lived into four divisions spanning eight decades approximately as follows:

As the original will be written first in Korean, we will try to translate into English as time allows.

Word to the Reader

As I pass my 80s, I realize it is time to start letting go of the precious and cherished things I have accumulated throughout my life. In my younger days, I lived comfortably in a big house with fine furniture and a car, but now, regrettably, it is time to part with them all. Even those who collected books out of a thirst for knowledge must now begin to let them go. All the material things we possess must be discarded, and they will naturally be abandoned when we are gone. Though it is a sad reality, it is part of the natural order. While material things will disappear with the demise of the body, the spiritual will remain. For practitioners, their accomplishments will endure through their past actions, and for theorists, their legacy will live on through their writings.

As someone who has devoted my life to scholarship, I believe that since I learned know-how from previous generations, it is only fair that I contribute what I have achieved to the coming civilization. If I die without adding my accumulated knowledge to future civilization, the efforts of my life would amount to zero. That is why I have diligently taught and written, believing that donating the know-how I’ve accumulated through my writings is the best way to repay the debt I owe to civilization. The thought and action of repaying one’s debt to civilization will emit a subtle fragrance of old age, The Scent of Old Age, which will serve as a driving force to advance human civilization.

The title of this book is Reminiscences of My Life and the Scent of Old Age. The author has divided their life into roughly 20-year segments, arranged in chronological order, considering the era in which they lived. The book is organized into four chapters: Graduation from Teachers’ School and Teaching Career (1941-61); Graduation from Military Academy and Military Service (1962-79); Study in the U.S. and Immigration (1979-2000); and Academic Activities, Education, and Writing (2001-2024).

In the twilight of life, reflecting on a tumultuous journey, the author writes this in the hope that reflecting on and evaluating their own life will provide some small measure of help to readers in living their own lives.

Finally, I express my heartfelt gratitude to Ko Min-jung, the CEO of Korea Digital Book Publishing, and the staff, for their efforts in bringing this book to publication.

Author Hugo Wheegook Kim, with a humble heart
Washington, USA, January 10, 2024

한국일보 2024년 12월 18일 수요일 종합 A3