Former culture minister receives Japanese literary award

SEOUL, Feb. 16 (Yonhap) -- Former culture minister Lee O-young received a renowned Japanese literary award for his contribution to raising awareness of haiku, Japan's traditional form of poetry, a local publisher said Monday.

Lee was given the 4th Masaoka Shiki International Haiku Award in Japan on Sunday
for his book "The Poetics of Haiku," which compares the Japanese poetic form with
Korea's traditional sijo, Seoul-based publisher Seojeongsihak said. The book was
published in Japan in 1984 and later in Korea in 1987.
The Masaoka Shiki International Haiku Award, named after the founder of modern
Japanese haiku, was established to recognize people who -- regardless nationality
or language -- have contributed to developing and promoting haiku as the shortest
form of world poetry.
Haiku is usually printed in a single vertical line, consisting of 17 morae in
three metrical phrases of 3, 5 and 7 morae, respectively.
Yves Bonnefoy of France, Li Mang of China and Robert Spiess of the United States
have received the prize in the past.