 Though he was a noted performer of traditional Korean music, he also loved classical Western music and was one of the few of his time who could read and appreciate English language poetry, Keats and Yeats being among his favorites.When the Japanese oppression was at its height, he alone in Gangjin refused to change his name or offer worship at the Shinto shrine.Many of his earlier poems clearly express opposition to Japanese rule, and after Korea’s liberation in 1945 he voiced his disquiet at the political polarisation that was tearing the country apart.