Ha Bo-gyong(Korean, born 1906~died 1996), the undisputed master of the Buddhist fan dance(chum), the yangban dance and pombu dance, is one of the oldest traditional artisans. Ha was born in 1906 and grew up in Miryang, South Kyongsang Province, where he learned dancing and reading musical scores by watching his father who played a drum. Despite the efforts to dissuade him made by his father who had been a member of a wandering troupe, the young Ha organized his own troupe and roamed the Kyongsang region giving performances.
In his early twenties, Ha absconded from Miryang to Manchuria, using the proceeds from the sale of an ox he had been asked to sell on his father's behalf. On returning to Korea, his economic situation obliged him to work as a manual labourer in Chagang.
Ha's father died shortly thereafter. Ha continued to lead a vagrant lifestyle for much of his life, until finally, in his sixties, he returned to Miryang. Here, he founded a traditional music association, which eventually developed into the Folklore Preservation Society(Bobongaey). He also performed in the annual Miryang Baekjung festival, which brought him national recognition after it was designated an Important Intangible Cultural Property.
Today Ha is famous for his drum-playing as well as his renditions of the 'Cripple's Dance' (Byongshin chum) and Hwijaeng-i chum.
He was designated a 'living cultural treasure' in Important Intangible Cultural Asset No. 68 (Miryang Paekjung nori) in 1983.