Kim So-hee (, sometimes given as Kim Sohŭi; December 1, 1917 – April 17, 1995) was an established South Korean traditional singer, designated officially as a '' human cultural asset'' in the heritage preservation programme for the folk opera genre

pansori ' () is a Korean genre of musical storytelling performed by a singer and a drummer. The term ''pansori'' is derived from the Korean words ''pan'' (Hangul: 판) and ''sori'' (Hangul: 소리), the latter of which means "sound." However, ''pan ...

, which is fifth on the list of

Important Intangible Cultural Properties of Korea The Intangible Cultural Heritage (, ''Muhyeong Munhwajae'') are aspects of intangible culture that the government of South Korea has officially designated for preservation in accordance with the 1962 Cultural Property Protection Law. They are ...

. Her real name was Kim Sun-ok (김순옥). She specialized in

Chunhyangga ''Chunhyangga'' is the most famous ''pansori'' (musical story telling) in Korea, having had considerable popularity in the country for the past century. ''Chunhyangga'' is considered to be the best ''pansori'' musically, and as a work of literature ...

. She used Manjeong () as a pseudonym, given by a physiognomist; it means to become a master of

gugak Korea refers to music from the Korean peninsula ranging from prehistoric times to the division of Korea into South and North in 1945. It includes court music, folk music, poetic songs, and religious music used in shamanistic and Buddhist traditi ...

Biography

Kim Sun-ok was born in

Gochang Gochang County (''Gochang-gun'') is a county in North Jeolla Province, South Korea. It is a rural area, and is home to only one institution of higher education: Gochang Polytechnic College. Notable people from Gochang include the 20th-centur ...

, in

North Jeolla North Jeolla Province (; ''Jeollabuk-do''), also known as Jeonbuk, is a province of South Korea. North Jeolla has a population of 1,869,711 (2015) and has a geographic area of 8,067 km2 (3,115 sq mi) located in the Honam region in the southwes ...

. She had two siblings, Kim Sang-ho and Kim Jung-suk and attended Heungduk Elementary School. She graduated at the age of 12 and went to Jeonnam Public School, while living at her sister's house in Gwangju. She started to practice pansori after listening to

Simcheongga is one of the five surviving stories of the Korean ''pansori'' storytelling tradition. The other stories are '' Chunhyangga'', '' Heungbuga'', '' Jeokbyeokga'', and '' Sugungga''. History The exact date of when the story was adapted into a pan ...

in second grade. Her sister's husband introduced her to Song Man-gab who was a master singer of pansori. Song's pupils typically paid five won, he charged Kim only one won. At the age of 14 she competed at Chunhyangje, a local festival in

Namwon Namwon (; ''Namwon-si'') is a city in North Jeolla Province, South Korea. Namwon is about 50 minutes from the provincial capital of Jeonju, which is almost three hours away from Seoul. The official city flower is Royal Azalea () while the city tr ...

province, where she won first prize. After winning, pansori master Lee Hwajeongseon heard her and took her to Namwon to perform together. Kim then quit school and started to concentrate on pansori and Korean dance.

Career

In 1964, she was designated as an

Ingan-munhwage A Living National Treasure (인간 문화재; ingan munhwajae), literally meaning ''human cultural asset'', is a South Korean popular term for those individuals certified as Holders of Important Intangible Cultural Properties (중요 무형 문 ...

and established the Kim So-hee Gugak Institute to teach students. She served as a Korean music instructor in

Ewha Womans University Ewha Womans University () is a private women's university in Seoul founded in 1886 by Mary F. Scranton under Emperor Gojong. It was the first university founded in South Korea. Currently, Ewha is one of the world's largest female educational inst ...

Hanyang University Hanyang University (Korean: 한양대학교) is a private research university in South Korea. The main campus is located in Seoul and its satellite campus, the Education Research Industry Cluster (ERICA campus), is in Ansan. ''Hanyang'' (한양 ...

and

Jungang University Chung-Ang University (CAU; ) is a private research university in Seoul, South Korea. It is widely regarded as one of the best universities in South Korea. The university operates two campuses: main campus located in Dongjak District, Seoul, and a ...

Awards

She won a National Medal for spreading gugak and won the Korean culture and Art prize. She was awarded an Arts, Culture and Arts Promotion Target Achievement, Korea gukak target prize and 2nd Prize sponsored by the

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...

Asia Music Festival.

References

External links

Korean Cultural Heritage AdministrationKorean Culture Information service
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kim, So-hee 1917 births 1995 deaths People from North Jeolla Province Korean traditional musicians 20th-century South Korean women singers