A Study on the Relationship between Kim Dongmin's Family and the Situation before and after the Opening of the National Gugak Center during the Korean War

This study examines the history of the National Gugak Center, which opened in Busan, the temporary capital during the Korean War. Due to a lack of historical records in this period, it analyzes the oral records about Kim Dongmin, who provided a temporary office for Guwanggung aakbu (舊王宮雅樂部) for about three months right after evacuation, to establish the influence of the Kim Dongmin's family that affected the birth of the National Gugak Center. The oral materials of Kim Dongmin and Son Jaesook, which serve as the basic material for this study, were recorded by the folk music scholar Lee Bohyeong in 1991. They show in detail the relationship between Kim Dongmin and the early days of the National Gugak Center. Based on them, this study summarizes the circumstance at that time by reviewing Kim Cheonheung's book, the National Gugak Center's 50th and 70th anniversary collections, and newspaper articles. Then, an oral interview was conducted with Kim Dongmin's eldest daughter, Kim Ongyeong, to cross-verify the facts. The results of this study are as follows. First, the National Gugak Center was provided with a temporary office at Kim Dongmin's house at 6 Toseong-dong 3ga, Seo-gu, Busan, from the end of December 1950 until its official opening in April 1951. Second, after the opening of the National Gugak Center, the first dance class for beginners was held by Kim Dongmin's Folk Dance Research Institute. Third, in 1952, when Busan's first dance play, Chunhyangjeon, was performed on 'the 1st Folk Dance Presentation', the musicians of the National Gugak Center, including Sung Kyungrin and Kim Chunheung, were in charge of the commentary and accompaniment. This fact played an important role in the birth of the National Gugak Center, and can be seen to be due to the passion and support of Kim Dongmin, a lover of Korean traditional music and instigator of the Korean traditional music enlightenment movement. In summary, Kim Dongmin greatly influenced the development of the National Gugak Center in Busan by providing a place for dance lessons and holding collaborative performances. This study is meaningful in that it newly established the situation before and after the opening of the National Gugak Center, which has not been well known so far, and shed new light on its historical significance.