World-OKTA, a group of Korean businesspeople known as the World Federation of Overseas Korean Traders, is a global business network that supports the overseas expansion of domestic small and midsize corporations. Its members do more than the consolidation of domestic corporations with overseas buyers; they step up as buyers and investors themselves to help Korean corporations pioneer foreign markets. ChosunBiz highlights the challenges and success stories of those expanding Korea's economic territory around the world. [Editor's note]
Near Plaza Mayor, the heart of the old city in Madrid, Spain's capital, there is an instrument workshop with a Taegeukgi hanging outside. The workshop's owner is Korean luthier Park Yunah. A luthier is a person who makes string instruments. It includes all string instruments such as the violin, cello, and guitar. The guitars Park makes carry no separate brand; they bear only the signature "Yunah Park."
A disciple of renowned Spanish guitar maker Angel Benito Aguado, Park built the first guitar in 2014 and went independent in 2016.
A decade after becoming an independent luthier, Park is regarded as a "luxury maker" in the classical guitar scene. The instruments are praised for solid fundamentals and delicate sound.
Handmade over three months, a "Yunah Park" guitar sells in the €7,300 range (1.2 million won), with slight variations depending on design and options. Though pricey, many professional performers and guitar enthusiasts seek them out, and the order book is reportedly backed up for two years.
Guitarist and maker Park is expanding activity from "craftsperson" to "businessperson." Park recently became a full member of World-OKTA (World Federation of Overseas Korean Traders), the largest association of overseas Korean businesspeople.
Gibson, Martin, and Taylor—regarded as the world's three major acoustic guitar brands—also began with three luthiers: Orville Gibson, Christian Frederick Martin, and Bob Taylor. The luxury piano "Steinway" was likewise founded in a workshop by Henry Steinway, a carpenter who immigrated from Germany to the United States in 1853. We interviewed Park, who began in Spain and is building a global presence, at the World-OKTA Europe-Eurasia Regional Businesspeople's Conference held in Madrid. The following is a Q&A.
— What kind of job is a luthier?
"The word luthier comes from the French 'luth,' meaning instrument. It means a person who makes string instruments. It is a general term for makers of string instruments such as the violin, cello, and guitar."
— It's an unfamiliar profession. How did you start?
"I originally majored in classical guitar performance. After graduating from a university in Korea, I was considering studying in the United States or Spain and chose Spain, the home of the guitar. While studying abroad, I thought I wanted to give my homecoming recital with an instrument I made myself. I was confident in my hand skills."
— Even with good hand skills, learning couldn't have been easy.
"In Spain I went around looking for famous makers and asked how to build guitars, but everyone responded coldly. They said it was not a hobby to learn but a profession to devote your life to. In fact, many luthiers inherit the family business. In the end, I gave up the dream and taught children at schools and academies. Then I heard that the famous guitar maker Angel Benito Aguado was looking for a disciple before retiring."
— Were there conditions to become Angel's student?
"The conditions were strict. First, a music major, and a sense for mathematics. They also said you had to have a good ear. I had played guitar since childhood, and my math grades in Korea were not bad. On top of that, I have absolute pitch, so I thought it would be possible. I applied and became an apprentice along with two Spanish students."
— How was life in the workshop?
"At first it felt like a dream. The reality was bleak. Everything was new, from the names of woods to how to use tools. I only knew how to play instruments; I didn't know much else. I found it hard to understand what the teacher taught, so I listened to the recordings over and over. I learned the production process by drawing it out. When the teacher's class ended, I cleaned first. Before class the next day, I was the first to arrive to prepare the tools for class."
— How was the training conducted?
"Before instrument making, the teacher gave a lot of homework. I had to bring wood and make keychains, coasters, and wooden boxes. There was even a time I was told to bring a hard piece of wood and, using only a thin chisel, make it 2 mm thick. Through the grueling process, the Spanish friends went home one by one, and I was left alone. The teacher said the persistence was commendable, and from then on began to pass on the techniques."
— When did you make your first guitar?
"I made it for the first time in 2014. I bought wood with the money from selling the guitar I had and made it. I didn't want to sell this guitar. I made it thinking of my mother and gave it to her as a gift. Looking at it now, the finish is somewhat lacking, but I keep it as a beautiful memory."
— You sell guitars under your name without a brand.
"Making guitars and selling them is hard, but the hardest thing is being recognized by renowned performers. In the conservative instrument market, being recognized as an East Asian female maker was not easy.
Now I do not write a separate brand on the guitar and only sign "Luthier Yunah Park." Once, a famous Japanese dealer suggested, 'It's hard to sell under the name of a Korean female maker. Sell under your husband's name, or create a brand name.' The dealer was quite well known, so I considered it, but I didn't want to be recognized for product appeal and value that way. In the end, I sell guitars under my own name."
— Why did you hang a Taegeukgi in the workshop?
"My workshop has full glass windows, so it can be seen well from outside. One day I heard passersby say, 'Look at that Chinese person copying guitars.' I went right out and said, 'I am Korean,' then brought them into the workshop, explained the instrument-making process, and played for them. Since that day, I have hung a Taegeukgi in the workshop."
— How long does it take to make one guitar? How many have you made so far?
"It takes more than three months to build one. I am currently making instrument No. 116. Orders are backed up for about two years."
— If you hired staff, you could shorten the production period.
"If I hire an assistant, I would have to train them, and I don't have the bandwidth for that. Above all, I am selling instruments under my name. I don't want to hear that using an assistant lowered the instrument's quality."
— Since building takes time, communication with buyers must be important.
"If the buyer is nearby, I meet frequently to do adjustments. If far away, I take a mold and send it. For buyers with small hands, I ask them to tell me until it feels comfortable after trying it. Fortunately, there have been no requests to return a guitar yet."
— What is Spain like from your own experience?
"It has been 21 years since I settled in Spain. Spanish culture is fiery, humane, and values work-life balance. In particular, people are very frank in expressing emotions. During meetings, voices may be raised, but once work is done, they smile and talk again as if nothing happened. They play when it's time to play and work when it's time to work. Spaniards do not live to work."
— Any advice for young people wanting to take on Spain?
"Don't be intimidated by Spaniards' appearance or rough tone. Big gestures in debates are not because they are angry but because they are passionate. They like to speak confidently and logically. Also, rather than a perfect plan, it's important to show problem-solving ability. Using break times is another way. If you spend relaxed time together, you can become close with people more easily."