Gang Junseop, Holder of Jindo Dasiraegi Who Wandered Paldo Praying for Rebirth in Paradise, Passes Away

Designated as National Intangible Cultural Heritage Holder in 1985
Gam Woo-sung Sets an Example by Portraying Jangsaeng in 'The King and the Clown'

Jindo Dasiraegi is a funeral ritual play performed by local pallbearers in Jindo when a person who has lived a long life passes away. It is meant to comfort the bereaved family and pray for the deceased's peaceful afterlife in paradise. Professional performers were invited to stay up all night and play together. The performers, organized mainly around the shamanistic group Sincheong (神廳), have preserved this tradition, which is considered to have significant value in the study of funeral customs and folk drama. Kang Junseop, the holder of the national intangible cultural asset for Jindo Dasiraegi, who traveled across the eight provinces throughout his life to spread its value, passed away around 7 p.m. on the 24th at the age of 88.

Born in 1933 as the fourth son in a family of shamans, he naturally grew up to become a performer. After first learning singing from Pansori master Shin Chiseon, also from Jindo, he joined a female musical troupe and toured various places performing. Continuing his activities with traveling troupes until the 1970s, he returned to his hometown in 1975 and took the lead in restoring Jindo Dasiraegi. He tirelessly promoted it to the world, including performing at the National Theater in 1979, which led to its designation as a national intangible cultural asset in February 1985. Along with the late Cho Damhwan (1934?1996), he was recognized for his outstanding skills and became a holder of this art form. He devoted himself to transmission and dissemination, receiving a commendation at the 2014 Jindo 'Citizen’s Day' celebration. He also served as an invited professor in the Department of Traditional Performing Arts at Sehan University, teaching students.

He also gained fame on traditional performance stages. He appeared in various performances ranging from classic Pansori such as Simcheongjeon, Chunhyangjeon, and Janghwa Hongryeonjeon to Shinpa plays. His portrayal of the blind servant Sim Bongsa was so renowned that actor Kam Woo-sung, who played Jangsaeng in the film The King and the Clown (2005), used it as a model for blind acting. In 2009, he attracted attention by holding a humorous and laughter-filled gut ritual the day before the funeral ceremony on Haewi Island, Shinan, where former President Kim Dae-jung’s birthplace is located.

Survived by his wife Kim Aeseon, an honorary holder of Jindo Dasiraegi who performed with him in traveling troupes since their youth, his son Minsu, recognized as a Jindo Dasiraegi transmission educator in 2011, and daughters Gyesun and Gyeok. The funeral hall is at the Jeonnam Jindo Forestry Cooperative Memorial Hall, with the funeral service scheduled for 10 a.m. on the 27th.