"Our Pansori Recognized Worldwide, Hope It Gains More Love in Korea"

Master Singer Kim Jeong-min Successfully Concludes '10th Anniversary Lecture Concert of Complete Pansori Performance'
22 Complete Performances of Pansori Heungboga and Jeokbyeokga Since 2013
Sold-Out Shows in Italy and France... Overflowing Love Calls from European Stages

"Many people have a preconceived notion that Pansori alone is boring and uninteresting, so I naturally created opportunities for people to experience it. There is no music that gives as deep a resonance as Pansori when heard directly. It is truly regrettable that there are so few opportunities to encounter Pansori and Gugak. I want to contribute, even with a small effort, to expanding the base of Gugak."

Master Kim Jeong-min is passionately singing after the lecture.
[Photo by Matitneun Gugak]

On the evening of the 21st, a commemorative lecture-style Gugak concert celebrating the 10th anniversary of Master Kim Jeong-min's complete Pansori performance was held at the Saecheonyeon Hall Grand Theater of Konkuk University.

The lively Nongak troupe's pungmulnori poured in like waves from the back of the audience to the stage, announcing the start of Master Kim Jeong-min's performance. The concert began at 6:30 PM with 800 spectators filling the seats and lasted about two hours. A sold-out Gugak performance in Korea is a rare occurrence. The presence of many domestic and international press as well as foreign audience members at the venue demonstrated the global interest in Gugak and Master Kim.

Earlier, on July 4th, Master Kim Jeong-min received enthusiastic responses and was praised for contributing to the popularization of Gugak through a lecture-style Gugak concert communicating with the audience at Hanguk-ui Jip in Chungmuro, Seoul.

This concert enhanced the depth of the repertoire and the delicate lecture content compared to previous performances. After Master Kim's passionate Pansori stage, his lecture was held during the intermission and at the end. It was a stage that showed Master Kim's efforts to make Gugak more accessible to the public and to breathe together with the audience.

Singer Park Hyun-bin (left), invited as a guest, and master singer Kim Jung-min performing a wonderful duet stage.
[Photo by Matitneun Gugak]

In the latter part of the concert, singer Park Hyun-bin took the stage as a guest and heated up the atmosphere by singing his hit song "Gondre Mandre." Master Kim and Park Hyun-bin performed a duet to close the show.

At the concert hall, a person busily carrying a camera caught the eye. Italian documentary director Leonardo Cinieri Lombroso, who attended Master Kim's Italy tour performance in 2021 as an audience member, is producing a documentary film about his life story. The film is expected to vividly capture his activities and Pansori life from last year's complete Pansori performance in Italy to this concert stage.

Master Kim's record of completing over three-hour-long full Pansori performances 22 times from 2013 to 2023 is considered the shortest period and the most performances in Pansori history, a feat difficult even for men. Many of these performances were held not only in Korea but also in prestigious theaters in Europe, the birthplace of music, such as Italy and France, making the achievement even more significant.

Kim Jung-min, a master singer, is passionately performing after the lecture. [Photo by Matitneun Gugak]

On June 3rd last year, the 'Jeokbyeokga Complete Performance' at Teatro Dal Verme in Italy sold out all 1,436 seats within half a day of ticket sales opening. Subsequently, the 'Pansori 4 Bawat 4 Daemok' performance at the Korean Cultural Center in Paris also filled all seats, drawing great attention locally in Europe.

Master Kim said, "Requests for performances continue to come from Europe, including Italy and France, and while I am grateful, it is also regrettable that there is more interest in Pansori overseas than in our own country."

He continued, "When a student who majored in Gugak for over 20 years told me they had moved on to another field, my heart ached deeply. It made me realize how much Gugak needs a stage to stand on and places for Gugak artists to work." He added, "Our sound is deep and captivating the more you listen. I repeatedly ask for the public's warm interest and affection toward Gugak."

Master Kim announced that he will donate all proceeds from this performance to charity. He also shared plans to continue complete performances mainly on European stages, starting with a scheduled performance in Italy early next year.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.