Kim Hyang-ok is a designated holder of Jeju Nongyo (농요, Nongyo: traditional work songs), Intangible Cultural Asset No. 16 of Jeju Special Self-Governing Province. Jeju Nongyo refers to the songs traditionally sung by women while farming, weeding, and pounding grain—songs that reflect the rhythm of communal labor and the everyday life of Jeju. Kim was trained for nearly 30 years by her mother, the late master singer Lee Myung-sook, who won the top prize at the National Folk Song Contest in 1993. Today, Kim continues her work as both performer and educator through the Jeju Nongyo Preservation Society and promotes Jeju’s traditional sound on both domestic and international stages. Her granddaughter, Kim Nayeon, began learning these songs as a child while accompanying her grandmother to performances. Early exposure to the Jeju dialect and work songs helped her naturally grow into a new-generation bearer of the tradition. The two now perform together on stage, representing three generations of Jeju's oral heritage—a family line that embodies not just personal tradition, but the collective memory and cultural identity of the island.

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