German archer dies at 70
Zeilinger known for studying Korean archery
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Karl Zeilinger
By Kwon Ji-youn
German archer Karl Zeilinger died Wednesday after collapsing on March 17. He was 70.
Zeilinger, a member of the Hwanghakjeong, an archery field in central Seoul, began studying Korean archery in 1980, visiting Korea three or four times a year to shoot.
Zeilinger, a former engineer, travelled several times to Turkey and Mongolia during his time as an engineer at Siemens in search of the perfect bow. It was one such journey that took him to Korea, where he began researching Korean archery.
He was always fascinated by weaponry and had been captivated by the horn bow, which had been on display at a museum in Germany.
He reportedly said the Korean bow was so different from the Western bow that it got him so determined to understand the principles behind it.
Zeilinger, former business development director of Siemens’ Asia Pacific branch, visited Korea for the first time in 1985.
He had previously attended a Mongolian festival where archers would shoot from
horseback.
The archers told him that Korea would be the place to go to if he was looking for the perfect bow. Germans no longer used the horn bow, he had said. They used the crossbow.
At times, he would visit workshops to observe how the Korean horn bow was made. Archers around the country agreed that Zeilinger became an expert of the Korean
bow. His house in Nuremburg resembled a museum, home to some 50 bows from around the world, and some 400 books on archery.
In 2002, Zeilinger built a Korean-style archery field near Nuremburg, where he provided Europeans with Korean bows. He was preparing to publish a study
report on them. His funeral date has yet to be decided.