Hyungon Kim, Living National Treasure and Keeper of Intangible Cultural Heritage for Traditional Musical Instruments, Passes Away

A Life Dedicated to Restoring Pyeonjong and Pyeongyeong
Recipient of the Silver Crown Order of Cultural Merit, Passes Away at 91

Hyungon Kim, Living National Treasure and Keeper of Intangible Cultural Heritage for Traditional Musical Instruments, passed away on July 27. He was 91 years old.

Hyungon Kim, Holder of the National Intangible Heritage Master Artisan of Musical Instruments.

Born in 1935, Kim began selling and repairing musical instruments in his twenties, immersing himself in their structure and principles. In the mid-1960s, he participated in the restoration and production of traditional Korean musical instruments at the National Gugak Center, which marked the start of his career as a traditional instrument maker.

In the mid-1980s, he took part in the modernization project for traditional Korean instruments and put significant effort into restoring various types of instruments. In the late 1980s, he successfully reproduced the Pyeonjong and Pyeongyeong. Recognized for his craftsmanship, he was designated the Keeper of Intangible Cultural Heritage for the Pyeonjong and Pyeongyeong instrument category in 2012. The title of "instrument maker" refers to an artisan who creates traditional instruments using materials such as wood and leather, carefully selecting and processing materials according to the instrument type and tuning them accordingly.

Kim received the Seoul City Culture Award in 2022 and the Silver Crown Order of Cultural Merit in 2023, and was inducted into the Seoul Cultural Hall of Fame. In 2024, he was honored with the Hue City Achievement Award in Vietnam for his contributions to the restoration and production of the Pyeongyeong.

The funeral hall is Room 17 on Basement Level 2 at Severance Hospital in Sinchon. The funeral procession will take place at 7 a.m. on the 30th, and the burial site is Seoul City Crematorium. He is survived by his wife, Im Choonja, sons Jongmin and Jongwoong, and daughter Seongyeong. Among them, Jongmin is continuing his father's legacy.

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