Geum Yun-a: The Haegeum Player Behind Famous Subway Sounds

Geum Yun-a, the wife of singer Hong Kyung-min, revealed her remarkable career on television. A haegeum player who attended Gugak Middle and High School before completing doctoral studies at the Korea National University of Arts and Seoul National University, she currently lectures at her alma mater and teaches at Chonnam National University, Kyungpook National University, and Sookmyung Women's University.

Most notably, she drew attention by revealing that she is the musician behind sounds people often hear unconsciously in their daily lives. From subway transfer melodies to haegeum performances featured in elementary school textbooks, Geum's musical life has been much closer to the public than one might think.

On the 10th, the production team of the SBS variety show 'Same Bed, Different Dreams 2: You Are My Destiny' released a pre-release clip titled 'The protagonist of the sounds we hear every day?! Hong Kyung-min goes full praise for his wife Geum Yun-a.'

In the video, Hong began by boasting about his wife's extraordinary focus and tenacity as a haegeum player.

Explaining her personality, Hong said, "Unlike me, if she sets her mind to achieving something, her concentration and will to immerse herself in it are incredibly strong."

What he was particularly proud of was the academic and musical path Geum had walked.

Geum began studying traditional Korean music in her childhood, attending Gugak Middle School and Gugak High School. She subsequently studied music at the Korea National University of Arts and completed a doctoral program at Seoul National University. According to Hong, she continued her studies even after marriage to finish her doctorate.

"She was determined to achieve something at a music competition and clung to it until she won the gold prize," Hong said. "She finished her doctoral program after we got married. I feel very proud of that."

Geum currently balances performing and teaching.

She stated, "After graduating from my doctoral program, I am lecturing at my alma mater, the Korea National University of Arts. Starting with Karts, I have gone on to lecture at Chonnam National University, Kyungpook National University, and Sookmyung Women's University."

Her work is not limited to university lecture halls. Geum has been delving into the single field of traditional Korean music for over 30 years, holding regular haegeum solo recitals.

The tenacity with which she has held onto one field for so long has also led to work that meets the public.

Geum shared an anecdote about how her haegeum performance was included in elementary school textbooks. As part of a project to introduce traditional Korean music more familiarly to children, she worked on expressing animal sounds using the haegeum.

An unexpected piece of her history was also revealed.

Geum is also the performer of the subway transfer announcement sounds that many people hear and pass by without a second thought.

Her career, having lived with the single instrument of the haegeum for decades, can ultimately be summarized by one trait: an attitude of constantly competing, setting goals, and ensuring they are achieved.

"Isn't music a competition? I have a lot of greed and have always lived in a situation where I wanted to be number one," Geum confessed.

This personality carried over into her perspective on child education.

She spoke candidly, saying, "I find it hard to understand and it's upsetting when the kids try to be lazy or avoid doing things."

However, at this point, her husband Hong presented a completely different philosophy on life.

Hong stated that he never prioritized competition itself, saying, "There is a difference. I never felt the need to push others aside to win."

He then compared his career as a singer to food, saying, "I want my singing career to be like naengmyeon (cold noodles)—thin and long."

This means he chose a life of sustaining his path for a long time rather than reaching the top in a short period.

Geum, who has clung to one instrument for over 30 years, and Hong, who values sustainability over competition.

Although the two have formed the same family, their ways of looking at success are quite different.

If life to Geum is closer to a process of setting goals and fighting to the end to achieve them, for Hong, it was more important to hold his position for a long time rather than beating someone else.

This difference naturally led to a gap in the couple's views on parenting.

Geum drew laughter when she finally said regarding Hong's parenting style, "To be honest, the dad ruined it all."

One person tries to teach the strength to survive competition, while the other talks about walking at one's own pace, even if it means stepping back from the race.

While Geum's life as a haegeum player for over 30 years and Hong's desire for a "thin and long" musical career seem different, they share one commonality: neither has easily given up on the path they chose.

How the couple will reconcile their differing views on education will be revealed on the program.