Pianist Kim Jeong-hwan, who was born in Seoul and later took German citizenship, won first prize at the Yun Isang International Music Competition final in Tongyeong, South Korea, and will receive 32 million won in combined prize money, Hankyung reported. He also captured the audience-vote UNESCO Music Creative City special prize.
The competition named Kim the winner at a final held on the 7th at Tongyeong International Music Hall, where he performed Prokofiev’s Piano Concerto No. 3 against three other finalists.
Kim Jeong-hwan’s Road from Seoul to Berlin and a 2023 Bartok Victory
Kim, born in Seoul in 2000, moved to Berlin in 2011 and studied music there while acquiring German nationality. He previously won the Bartok International Piano Competition in Sydney, Australia, in 2023.
At the awards ceremony, Kim said, “I’m happy and grateful to have visited Tongyeong through this competition,” adding that the event gave him a meaningful opportunity to deeply explore works by composer Yun Isang, by composers active in his era, and by composers who influenced Yun Isang.
Lee Ju-eon, Park Hae-rim and Robert Bily Fill Out the Podium
Second place went to Korean pianist Lee Ju-eon, born in 2011. Third was Park Hae-rim, born in 2006, and fourth was Robert Bily, born in 1997, who holds German and Czech nationality.
Lee also received the Park Seong-yong Young Talent Special Award, given to promising Korean musicians, while Park received the Yun Isang Special Award for outstanding interpretation of Yun’s works. The prizewinners will perform at a winners’ concert at 3 p.m. on the 8th at Busan Concert Hall.
How the Yun Isang Competition Grew Into a WFIMC-Recognized Event
The Yun Isang International Music Competition was launched in 2003 in Tongyeong, the hometown of the Korean composer Yun Isang, who was active in Germany, to honor his music. It became the first domestic competition to join the World Federation of International Music Competitions in 2006, earning recognition as one of the world’s leading competitions.
The event rotates among cello, piano and violin each year. Cellist Lee Yu-bin won last year, and pianist Lim Yun-chan won in 2019 at age 15, making him the competition’s youngest-ever winner.
German pianist Klaus Hellwig, who chaired this year’s jury, said he found it meaningful that the Yun Isang International Music Competition grew into an internationally recognized event in a relatively short time. “Over the past week, thanks to the outstanding participants, I was able to immerse myself fully in the sea of music, and the performances that interpreted Yun Isang’s works especially brought great joy,” he said.
Yun Isang Competition Questions Readers Ask After the Final
The prizewinners perform at 3 p.m. on the 8th at Busan Concert Hall.
Lim Yun-chan won the piano division in 2019 at age 15, the youngest winner in the competition’s history, and cellist Lee Yu-bin took the 2024 cello title.
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