An Interview with Jongsung Yang, Curator of the Exhibition Mediator between Heaven and Earth-Shaman

Abstract

Jongsung Yang (yangshaman@hanmail.net) is a curator of the National Folk Museum of Korea (NFMK), where he focuses on its international exchange program, performance arts, and journal publication. He has worked at the NFMK as a curator since 1993 and also as a member of the editorial staff of the International Journal of Intangible Cultural Heritage, which was launched by the NFMK in 2008. He earned a PhD in Folklore and Cultural Anthropology (Indiana University, 1993) and is the author of Cultural Protection Policy in Korea: Intangible Cultural Properties and Living National Treasures (Jimoondang International, 2003). He has conducted anthropological research on the shamanism of various ethnic groups and countries, such as Nepal, Mongolia, and Korea. As a curator of the NFMK, he has organized several special exhibitions, including ‘‘Wood and Paper’’ (2008) and ‘‘The Twelve Signs of the Zodiac’’ (2010), as well as performance events of shamanic arts. He has been a member of the Korean Committee for Cultural Assets since 1998.