Finding cohesion in the notes
Kim Cheol-woong, a North Korean defector, hopes his music helps provide South Koreans with a better understanding of North Korean culture. / Korea Times file
North Korean-born pianist Kim Cheol-woong fosters understanding with music
By Kim Young-jin
There was a time when pianist Kim Cheol-woong, a North Korean defector, risked punishment whenever he played modern Western music.
Now in the South, he plays North Korean music for the betterment of society.
Kim, 39, has become well-known not only for his virtuosity but also his inspiring life story, after he left behind a privileged background in search of musical freedom.
Because many defectors come from the lower strata of society, Kim says South Korean perceptions of the North are skewed. Understanding North Korean culture is imperative to prepare for eventual unification, he believes.
“South Koreans are taught to look at the differences between North and South,” Kim said in an interview in southern Seoul this week. “But we should be looking at the similarities.
“I want to teach South Koreans about North Korean music. The music that I make, I want it to be a unifying factor between the two Koreas.”
The pianist will do just that during a
on Saturday organized by the Citizens’ Alliance for North Korean Human Rights, for which he has prepared pieces from the North. Proceeds will go to a campaign to help six North Korean refugees in China come to the South.
That Kim came from an elite family — his father a powerful member of the ruling Workers’ Party — does not make his story any less harrowing.
In 1981, Kim was one of nine children selected to attend the Pyongyang Music and Dance Institute, beating out several thousand applicants. He attributed this opportunity to his family background.
The Stalinist state has long used a caste system based on family status, or “seongbun,” as a control mechanism. Based on one’s political, social and economic background, as well as behavior by relatives, seongbun shapes a person’s mobility, or lack of it, in society.
In North Korea, Kim says that music falls into two general categories: classical and propagandist. Classical music is limited to that from the 19th century — anything later is not permitted.
While studying at the Tchaikovsky Conservatory in 2001, Kim was blown away when he heard a recording of the jazz standard “Autumn Leaves.”
When he tried to play the song in his room in North Korea, he was reported to the secret police, who told him to write a “self criticism” report.
His family background did little to help him once he defected across the China border: to survive there he worked as a servant for a Chinese family and in a logging camp.
Since he arrived here, however, Kim has adjusted quickly, saying his background in the North made it easier to adjust to the capitalist South than for most other defectors. He has played internationally on high profile stages including Carnegie Hall in New York.
In the interview, Kim provided a peek into the life of musicians in the North, the role of seongbun and the importance for Southerners to develop a wider understanding of North Korean culture.
Q Your story is interesting in part because of your elite musical training. Tell us about life at the school.
A My daily schedule comprised of core academic classes in the morning on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, including “propaganda classes” about (late North Korean dictators) Kim Jong-il and Kim Il-sung. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, I had my music theory classes in the morning. In the afternoons, I had to practice for about seven to eight hours.
On weekends, we went to government sponsored meetings that were meant to promote patriotism.
Q How much did your family background play into the kind of life you lived in the North?
A During my spare time on the weekends, my friends and I went to the local recreation center for bowling or billiards. My school enrolled the sons of a lot of government workers so many of us could afford these luxuries.
Although I knew I had a luxurious life, I did not realize that people outside of Pyongyang were living in such poverty. When I came to Seoul, I realized how different my life had been compared to many other North Koreans.
The saddest memory from then was when one of my closest friends was expelled for failing the “Life of Kim Il-sung” class. He was one of the best piano players in the school, but they still expelled him for his low score.
Q In Russia, you were exposed to music that you had never heard before. Can you describe that sensation?
A Before coming to Russia, I had never heard musical notes in such a unique and beautiful arrangement. It was the first time seeing notes from classical music transforming into a different genre. I felt like I had discovered something new — something free.
The main difference I noticed was the different arrangements. The location of the notes is different, and so it has a different, livelier feel. I was shocked at the different patterns. It was an indescribably amazing moment in my life.
Q North Korean musicians are said to have excellent technique. Why is that?
A In March, I met Lorin Maazel, who led the New York Philharmonic (during an unprecedented 2008 trip) in Pyongyang, and he told me he was really impressed with the technique of the musicians.
All of them have learned in places such as Russia, Germany and Holland. (Maazel) was really impressed that they rehearsed without sheet music — they memorized it.
Those musicians memorize it because they keep playing it over and over — they become robotic. If your technique isn’t perfect, you’ll get kicked out (of work). Any mistake you make might cost you your job. It’s scary.
Q How has your seongbun affected life here in South Korea?
A If you leave North Korea and you were living an upper-class lifestyle, high seongbun definitely makes it easier to adapt to the South Korean lifestyle. For instance, forks and knives are only used by people with high seongbun. Most North Korean defectors in the South Korea had probably never seen forks and knives before coming here.
Most of my friends are South Korean. When we do have gatherings (among defectors), many feel bitter toward me because I was in the upper echelon of society — the upper seongbun that abused the lower classes.
The defector community here is split — there are gatherings for people with high seongbun, for example, or gatherings for alumni of Kim Il-sung University. I must say that I am much more comfortable hanging out with South Korean friends because of this.
Q What are some misperceptions that South Koreans have about North Koreans?
A South Koreans don’t know the real story. Many South Koreans only know what they see, which is usually poor people from North Korea. They have only seen the poor people that have left North Korea. Not the people like me who lived comfortable lives.
Q What is it that people in the South should know?
A The most important thing is to know North Korean culture. When people go on vacation, they usually look at a guidebook that tells about the culture. Most South Koreans are not looking at that guidebook, but are looking at their misperceptions.
I think Korea’s thinking on unification is inadequate. Looking at the similarities between the countries would provide a sounder basis for unification and minimize rash generalizations.
Often times, when I play a North Korean song on the piano, I ask the audience afterwards if they found the song unusual. They always respond that the song was beautiful. Through music, North and South Korea will hopefully be able to understand and appreciate each other.
Korea Times intern Frederick Mun contributed to this report.