Park Dong-jin (朴東鎭, July 12, 1916 by the lunar calendar - July 8, 2003) was a changgeuk actor during the Japanese colonial era and a master pansori singer in Korea.

Born in Gongju, Chungcheongnam-do, he was also recognized as a master of pansori, and was active as a representative figure in the Korean pansori field until the 1990s.

He died of old age on July 8, 2003.

Career
Park Dong-jin was born in Mureung-ri, Janggi-myeon, Gongju-gun, Chungcheongnam-do (now Murung-dong, Gongju-si, Chungcheongnam-do) and worked as a master pansori singer. His pseudonym is Indang. His detailed family lineage is unknown, but according to testimonies, his grandfather was a jester who excelled in land dexterity. It is said to have been received

However, it is said that his father was a farmer who had nothing to do with Korean traditional music.

At the age of 16, he began to fall in love with pansori after watching a performance by Hyeopryulsa, a school in Gongju. However, it seems that Son Byeong-doo was not originally a master singer, and shortly thereafter, Park Dong-jin received the mediation of Son Pil-mo, known as Son Byeong-doo's grandfather, and transferred to Kim Chang-jin's school to learn 《Simcheongga》.

At the age of 19, he learned 《Chunhyangga》 from Jeong Jeong-ryeol (丁貞烈, May 21, 1876 – March 21, 1938), but at the time, there were many other students of Jeong Jeong-ryeol, so he could not learn it. At the age of 21, he studied 《Jeokbyeokga》 under Jo Hak-jin, and at the age of 22, he learned 《Heungboga》 under Park Ji-hong. And he went to Seoul again and learned 《Chunhyangga》 from Jeong Jeong-ryeol. He is also said to have received guidance from Song Man-gap, but it seems that he did not learn exactly what kind of background he learned, but only received guidance with an overall tidying tendency.

Around the age of 25, his throat was damaged due to his intemperate life, so he could not act as a pansori singer, and even when he did, he could not stand on the center stage. For eight years from 1944 to 1952, he moved around in changgeuk troupes such as the Joseon Music Troupe, Kim Yeon-soo Changgeuk Troupe, and Johyang Changgeuk Troupe. On the other hand, in order to regain his voice, he continued to train for 100 days and did not hesitate to go solo. He was in charge of arranging and directing the stage at the Haennim Gukgeuk Troupe for a living, but he was still unable to engage in full-scale activities as a pansori singer.

From 1958 to 1959, he briefly served as a member of the Special Advisory Committee for Culture and Arts of the Korean Independence Party, and then in 1962 he became the National Gugak Center's Gugak Music Assistant. March 5) and Han Il-seop (1929 ~ 1973), who was active as a musician in various changgeuk troupes at the time, held a 5-hour full performance presentation of the pansori 《Heungboga》. This presentation was broadcast through VUNC, a broadcasting station of the United Nations Command, and caused a great sensation. With this as a starting point, <Chunhyangga> in 1969 for 8 hours, <Simcheongga> in 1970 for 6 hours, <Jeokbyeokga> for 7 hours in 1971, and <Sugungga> for 4 hours were released one after another. In addition, he restored and presented complete songs such as 《Byeongangsoe Taryeong》 in 1970, 《Baebijang Taryeong》, 《Sukyeongnangjajeon》, 《Ongojip Taryeong》 in 1972, and composed new pansori such as 《Seongwoong Yi Sunshin》 and 《Seongseo Pansori》. As a pansori singer, he started full-scale activities. In particular, he was recognized for his ability to fully sing 《Jeokbyeokga》, and in 1973, he was designated as an entertainer of Pansori 《Jeokbyeokga》, the 5th Important Intangible Cultural Property. In the same year, he was inaugurated as the head of the National Changgeuk Company of Korea, and began to play an active role as a leading figure in the pansori world, holding recitals more than once a year until the 1990s.

Originally without a specific religion, in 1969, at the request of Presbyterian minister Cho Hyang-rok and playwright Joo Tae-ik, he performed the original pansori 《The Story of Jesus》 as an opportunity to convert to Protestantism. He also actively participated in Protestant missionary activities.

He received the Silver Crown Cultural Medal in 1980, participated in a tour of the United States in 1981, and released 《Bible Pansori》 in the United States in 1982. In 1985, he was appointed as the National Gugak Center's Pansori Senior Instructor, and in 1987, he became a member of the National Gugak Center's leadership team. During this time, he won quite a lot of awards, and was treated as a great master of pansori as well as the best in the world of pansori in name and reality.

In the late 1990s, he came down to Gongju to focus on nurturing the younger generation and opened a training center, while still actively engaged in performance activities.

On July 8, 2003, he passed away from old age in Mureung-dong, Gongju-si, and the day after his death, on July 9, 2003, he was posthumously awarded the Order of Cultural Merit in recognition of his contributions during his lifetime.

Living National Treasure (South Korea) CD Dongjin Park - Pansori 5 Madang 1 Chunhyangga