Kim Duk-soo

Kim Duk-soo (born September 23, 1952) is a South Korean traditional musician and the founding professor of the School of Korean Traditional Arts at the Korea National University of Arts. He is best known for creating the samul nori genre of Korean music.

Biography
Kim was born in Taejon on September 23, 1952. He began his music career at the age of five when joined the Namsadang group, a wandering artists troupe. At age seven, Kim became the youngest person to win the President's Award in the National Folk Music Contest.

In 1978, Kim, alongside his colleagues Kim Yong-bae, Lee Kwang-soo, and Choi Jong-sil, formed the SamulNori group. The group used four main instruments: kkwaenggwari, jing, buk, and janggu, the latter of which Kim played. They performed indoors, as, under the Park Chung-hee administration, traditional instruments were associated with student protests, and playing them outside could lead to arrest. The samul nori genre expanded from this initial ensemble, as more groups started to play the same music style.

In 1993, Kim founded a large samul nori orchestra named "Hanullim." The orchestra seeks to promote samul nori performance.

Kim was appointed as the founding professor of the School of Korean Traditional Arts at the Korea National University of Arts in 1993.

Kim has won numerous awards, including the Fukuoka Arts and Culture Prize and the Order of Cultural Merit. He was also listed as one of the "50 Most Distinguished Koreans in the 50 Years since National Liberation" by the Chosun Ilbo.