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Korean gagok is Korean vocal music with a long history and deep cultural significance that reflects the emotions and culture of the Korean people. Um Jeong Haeng was a pioneer of Korean gagok in the 1970s and 1980s and was one of the top three tenors in Korea.
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One of the top three tenors in Korea
As one of the top three tenors in South Korea, along with Youngjo Shin and Insoo Park, Um played a pioneering role in popularizing Korean opera. He was naturally drawn to music from a young age due to the influence of his father Youngsup Um who was a music teacher. He began performing as a vocalist in 1968 with a recital at the National Theater of the Arts. In 1975, when there were no recordings of Korean songs for broadcast, he contacted Seorabal Records and offered to create a collection of Korean gagok. He started to record Korean gagok and promote them, but he was an unknown, so he had to do something to make a living. Through his relationship with the chairman of Cosmos Musical Instruments, he ran a musical instrument shop, a dressmaking shop with several employees, and a coffee shop with nearly 120 seats, but it didn’t work out well. After failing miserably, he realized that money follows him when he did what he loved.
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Pioneering the Korean gagok
His clear, strong tenor was a good example of Korean gagok and he became known to the public who had never studied abroad but as popular as today’s idol singers in the 1970s and 1980s. People were moved and smoothed by his singing of Magnolia Blossom, Bimok, Pioneer, Nostalgic Mount Kumgang, Gagopa and Hometown. Magnolia Blossom in particular became the most beloved song of the people during the time. Magnolia Blossom was handwritten by Dongjin Kim and given to me. I sang the song in front of him more than 60 times, but he didn’t like it, so I repeated it dozens of times. That was how the song came out to the public eventually. So I’m very attached to it.“ said Um. Um also played Alfredo, the leading man in La Traviata, for 15 performances over five years. For more than half a century, he has recorded a wide range of music, including Korean and Italian gagok, opera, and chant.
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Turning Ulsan to a cultural city and spreading pure music to people
He served as dean of Kyung Hee University’s College of Music for 34 years before retiring in 2008 and returning to his hometown of Yangsan. He established the Yeonwoo Umjeonghaeng Music Institute there, founded the Yeonwoo Choir and Orchestra, and organized the Umjeonghaeng National Vocal Music Competition, which provides opportunities for people across the country who are interested in music. The competition, which is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year, has grown to become one of the top four music competitions in Korea. He served as principal of Ulsan High School for the Arts for three years starting in 2019, and in 2022, he opened the Um Jeong Haeng Museum with the help of the city of Yangsan. The museum has a total area of 302.6妊 (exhibition hall 251妊, office 51.6妊) and is equipped with sound equipment (grand piano, audio speakers, amplifiers, woofers, etc.), music items (50 DVDs, 1,700 CDs, 50 records, 80 LCD operas, 500 music-related books, 150 programs), and other items (6 posters, 20 portrait frames, 120 plaques of merit and appreciation, etc.), and holds regular concerts and various events. Every component of the museum is from his collection, and it is the first cultural facility in the country to be named after a person still alive. “The 21st century is the age of culture, and the economy and culture have a strong interdependence. We know that economic development requires the development of culture and arts. In order for our economy to continue to develop and for our people to be able to pursue a happy life, we must recognize the importance of culture and increase our interest and understanding of culture.” said Um. Every year, he donates a scholarship to Yangsan City to promote local talent.
김태인 기자 red3955@hanmail.net
