(Sung poetry) Lee Sang’s ‘Ogamdo’: A Dizzying Dive into Fear

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Lee Sang’s « Ogamdo No. 1 » is not just a poem—it is an experience, a raw exploration of collective anxiety and hidden fears unfolding like a fever dream that refuses to clarify itself. Like a meticulously arranged chaotic symphony, Lee Sang creates an atmosphere in which every note embodies unease, not by what is said, but by what is left deliberately ambiguous.

The essence of « Ogamdo » lies in its duality and hidden monsters—both literally and figuratively. At first glance, the scene is deceptively simple: thirteen children running down an alley. But the children are divided—some are « terrifying » while others are « terrified. » This dichotomy, enhanced by Lee Sang’s careful choice of ambiguous phrasing, keeps readers teetering on the edge of comprehension, and that is precisely where the magic happens. The fear here is pervasive and diffuse—we don’t know who is a monster, who is prey, or if, indeed, they might all be the same. The ambiguity becomes the source of an almost primordial discomfort.

Lee Sang creates a narrative that feels cinematic, yet one that could never be filmed. The ambiguity of « Ogamdo » presents us with a mise-en-scène wherein identities blur and shift. The children, rendered almost identical through repeating phrases, become mere figures in a chilling pursuit—an endless chase with no clear conclusion. By keeping the identities of the ‘terrifying’ and the ‘terrified’ concealed, Lee skillfully draws out tension, turning it into a full-blown suspense thriller in our imaginations. This suspense, this discomfort, is enhanced by the deliberate absence of certainty; the unknown is far more fearsome than any concrete horror.

At its core, « Ogamdo » doesn’t aim to describe terror; it aims to make you feel it. The poem’s layered meanings, its rhythmic repetition, and even its structural choices are all crafted to create a certain type of reader—someone left unsettled, lost in an endless game of hide and seek. It’s a composition that resonates with the aesthetics of early experimental cinema or even avant-garde music—shattering conventions to make something hauntingly new.