About Alan Heyman
Alan Charles Heyman (16 March 1931 – 1 March 2014), Korean name Hae Eui-man (Korean: 해의만), was a South Korean musicologist and composer. Born in the United States, he first came to South Korea in 1953 with the United States Army during the Korean War, and after completing a graduate degree in music education at Columbia University, moved to South Korea permanently in 1960 to devote himself to research and composition. He led traditional Korean music troupes on tours of North America and Europe, and made significant contributions to the preservation of Korean traditional music, for which he was recognised with awards from national and international organisations. He gave up his U.S. citizenship to become a South Korean citizen in 1995, and remained in the country until his death in 2014. == In the Korean War == Heyman was born in New York City on 16 March 1931 to Charles and Lillian Heyman., who were both Jewish. He went on to attend the University of Colorado, where he majored in music while also studying a pre-medical course, graduating in 1952. After his graduation, Heyman was drafted into the United States Army. He initially knew nothing about Korea; when informed by his senior officer that he would be stationed in Uijeongbu near the South Korean capital Seoul, he asked, "Excuse me sir, in what part of Japan is Uijeongbu?" He would go on to serve as an army medic and lab technician. Heyman was first exposed to East Asian music during his Korean War service. In 1953, he was attached to a field hospital unit stationed in Gangwon Province.
Biography source: Wikipedia. The profile adds birthday-specific historical context from the Celebs Birthday Today editorial database.