One of the most famous trot musicians in South Korea, Ha Chun-hwa, acquired an associate degree from KU. She then gained a bachelor’s degree from Korea National Open University. Afterwards, she received a master’s degree in fine arts at Dongguk University, and a doctorate in Confucian Studies and Eastern Philosophy at Sungkyunkwan University.
As a prestigious private institution in Gyeongsang Province, KU has made great efforts to foster student innovation under the education ideology of “Truth, Liberty, and Creativity”. The number of graduates of KU goes beyond 140,000, and each of them are applying said ideology in real life. Especially Ms. Ha. Not only is she is one of the most well-known alumni from KU, she is the best person who exemplifies KU’s ideology, by creating her own harmony, rhythm, and melody that she expresses through her life experiences. Her amazing achievement can be attributed to her desire to always develop academically; meaning she continued her studies even after her successful career.
“Take me to the island called Dotseom. I want to see him”, “Where is he? Gapo or Manaljae?”, “Mt. Muhaksan, you should know where he is.” If you have lived in Masan, the lyrics would be a little bit familiar to you. The lyrics are from the song “It Rains in Masan Port” which she expresses and conceptualizes the beauty of Masan. The song is on her album, 60th Anniversary Album, was released on June 11, and collaborated with songwriter Lee Ho-seop, who was born in Uiryeong Gun, Geyongsangnam-do and spent his younger days in Masan. In a recent interview with Gyeongnam News, she stated “I came to know that many people from Masan feel bad about the absorption into Changwon… I saw many of them being touched and even crying after listening to this song”.
There are many interesting reasons as to why Ms. Ha has a fondness for Masan. She once requested the TV show on KBS, Love on the Air, to find a fan of hers in Masan and went on to visit her fan in Masan. Later, she said the fan is her “No.1 fan… among those in Masan.” During the show, she mentioned about her experiences and has always said that she felt a little bit sad about Masan being absorbed to Changwon along with Jinhae. For that reason, she wanted to write a song that can relieve the sorrow of the people who have lost their hometown, Masan.
Ms. Ha also has a deep relationship with KU, largely in part to her graduating from KU. She attended the Fall Music Concert that celebrated the 70th anniversary of KU and the completion of constructing Chang-jo Gwan, held at Mirae-gwan, on October 26, 2016. During the event, she dazzled all attendees t with her beautiful voice and exciting melodies while performing some of her original songs: My Father, Matroos; A Waterfowl, Yeongam Arirang. She also attended the inauguration event of the 11th president of KU, held on February 14, 2019, where she showcased, once again, her fascinating and exciting music.
If you are one of the graduates of KU or have beautiful memories of Masan, I strongly recommend you to listen to the song ‘It Rains in Masan Port’. The exciting but somewhat mournful melody and lyrics of the song will invoke strong emotions as you remember your time in Masan.
