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This research article explores the contextual background of Ch’oe Namsŏ who is well-known for his composition of sijo. Choe Nam-sŏ was drawn to the philosophical concept of aphorism and demonstrated its significance in his literary work, while the renaissance of sijo had arrived in early twentieth century Korea. The revival of sijo as a literary movement was not only Choe Nam-sŏ’s primary concern, but also a site in which we can understand the associations of aphorism with his national consciousness. The following characteristics are found in Ch’oe’s works and activities: First, his literary movement places emphasis on innovation rather than securing tradition. Secondly, his sijo poems show a shift from a lyrical form to the poetic form, by employing meter system into his poems. Thirdly, the transition fails to convey diverse emotion embedded in old sijo. Fourth, Ch’oe’s poems pursue the innovation, but the expressions and titles are somewhat banal and old, frequently employing Chinese characters. Fifth, the sijo poems are focused to represent the contemporaneous trendy thoughts and religious ideas rather than national concerns and ideas.