청각장애 무형문화재 임선빈(2015년 1월 15일)

오늘 아침 The Korea Times에서 참 감동적이고도 부끄러운 기사 하나를 보았습니다. 청각을 잃고도 우리나라에서 제일 좋은 북을 만드는 무형문화재 임선빈 씨에 대한 기사였습니다. 임 선생은 1949년 충북 청주에서 태어나 열한 살 때부터 북을 만들었다고 합니다. 그때 이미 오른쪽 귀는 들리지 않았고 스물다섯 살 때 왼쪽 귀의 청각도 거의 상실했다고 합니다. 그의 생애와 헌신은 한마디로 감동입니다.

감동만큼 부끄러움도 큰 이유는 무엇보다 그분이 북을 만들어 전시한 후 찢어버려야 하기 때문입니다. 둘 곳이 없어 그 귀한 작품들을 없애야 한다니 이런 수치스러운 낭비가 어디 있겠습니까? 돈 좀 가진 분들, 임 선생의 북을 사들여 북 박물관을 만드실 의향이 없으신지요? 그러신다면 평생 존경하겠습니다. 아래에 기사 일부를 옮겨둡니다. 말없음표(...)는 기사가 잘렸음을 뜻합니다. 

전문은 http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/culture/2015/01/135_171744.html 에서 볼 수 있습니다.

The Sound of Silence

He was only 11 years old when he lost his hearing in his right ear after being seriously beaten by his peers, who bullied him for having a limp leg. Then, at 25, he lost most of his hearing in his left ear after using it 

excessively to tune drums.

Im Seon-bin, a traditional drum or "buk" maker recognized by the government as an intangible cultural treasure, cannot communicate with others without a hearing aid. Yet, unbelievably, he continues to make drums

in the traditional way, without hearing sound. Instead, he makes sure that his drums produce the right 

sounds using his sense of touch.

"I cannot make the right sound while wearing the hearing aid because it distorts the sound. When I make a 

drum, I take off the hearing aid," Im told The Korea Times.

"When I beat the drum, I can feel the vibration travel from my fingertips to my heart. Even though I cannot 

hear the sound through my ear, I can hear it through my heart," he said.

When he was 11, he and his six sisters and two brothers were separated after his father's business failed. 

Born in Cheongju, North Chungcheong Province, he lived in a slum where dwellers picked rags in Seoul for a living. He was beaten by others, who mocked his limp leg, which he got from polio after he was born.

One day, he escaped from the slum and met his mentor, Hwang Yong-ok, a drum making master,

in Yeosu, South Jeolla Province.

"I just followed him because I was hungry. He offered me meals and shelter. one night, as I was lying under the moonlight, thinking of how much I missed my family, I began to beat my drum, and at that moment, I 

was seized by the sound of the drum. The sound pulled my heartstrings. Since then, I decided to make 

drums that can move the soul," he said.

Making musical masterpieces

Im's name is widely known for making the nation's largest traditional drum, installed in the lobby of Anyang City Hall in Gyeonggi Province. Currently living in Anyang, he spent two years and six months to make the 

drum, which he hoped would promote harmony and development in the region.

The drum measures 220 centimeters high, 820 centimeters wide in the rim and 650 kilograms in weight. It is adorned with "dancheong," traditional paintwork on wooden structures, in the shape of clouds, dragons, 

flowers and waves. It symbolizes the importance of the integrity of the city's governmental officials and the harmony among the city's residents.

He made various masterpieces that are installed in the presidential office, Cheong Wa Dae, and the 

Baekdam Temple, and the large dragon-patterned drum that was used at the opening ceremony of the 

1988 Seoul Olympics.

He said he loves making "beopgo" (temple drums), among others. "When a Buddhist monk beats a drum, 

it gives great comforts to the listeners," he said.

Still struggling

After years of manufacturing drums, he was given the honorable title of Intangible Cultural Property in 1999 by the government. He felt this achievement could wash away his lifetime of woes. But it didn't...

"In the past, this kind of job was regarded as vulgar and lowly because the artisans picked and butchered

 the cows themselves to get their skin. So people looked down on our job," he said.

"I don't think this perception has changed. Nobody wants to learn how to make traditional drums because 

it's a hard, manual job and it's hard to make money from it," he said...

Three years ago, he was forced to close his workshop located at a special venue for intangible cultural heritage in Bucheon, Gyeonggi Province, because he is not a Bucheon citizen. Today, he makes his drums at a 

former plant in the industrial area that will be redeveloped in Siheung, Gyeonggi Province...

The artisan said many people who have been recognized for their contribution to Korea's cultural heritage live and work in poor conditions and receive little support from the government. He is required to hold two regular exhibitions a year from the government, but after the exhibitions, he has to tear his drums apart, as he cannot afford to keep all of them in his small workshop.

"My drums are like my children. But I have to destroy them because no person or institution wants to buy or keep them. I can donate my drums to any museum, which can keep them without any conditions," he said..

"People say keeping the tradition is great. But no one wants to pay for it. The demand for traditional drums

 is on the decline," he said...

Worse, it is becoming more difficult to obtain good quality materials such as high-quality cowhide and wood, which are essential for drum making. The drums make different sounds according to the type of animal skin or wood used, such as pine or Paulownia wood.

"The skin is like the father, while the wood is like the mother. The sound produced between the skin and the wood is like the child," he said...

Even though his life is still tough for him, Im hopes to restore the ancient drums from the Three Kingdoms to the Joseon Kingdoms. "I have the resources that document the ancient drums. I can restore those 

traditional instruments. Until the day I die, I want to restore the exceptional drums that show the historical 

changes in the instruments," he said...