Arirang, etc

To preserve or not to preserve? That is usually the question that many nationalities face when it is related to the nation’s history and culture. With this modern age setting in and everything is globalizing (which is essentially homogenizing) our everyday lives. We can lose our traditional identity if we do not work on preserving the arts and crafts of the olden days. In Keith Howard’s article, the Korean government’s attempts to preserve tradition “focused on securing the conservation of the oldest, most authentic form of any given art or craft…[and promoting them] as icons of national identity.” Another point that Howard pointed out was that “the more [the government] appoint[s], the less of [Korean’s] cultural heritance [they] will lose. But the more local folk songs are performed in the national arena the more they lose their local identity.” This is quite a balance that the Koreans have to strike. Because the Koreans’ folk songs vary from region to region, the government had a tough time on deciding how much of these regional folk songs they want to preserve since there were many to choose from.

Even with all of the stipends that the government pays to these appointed “holders” to pass their songs and arts down, the younger generation is simply not interested. One thing that I found interesting were the people who decides to break away from tradition and adds a little twist to the songs. Paek Ch'angu added modern instruments (guitars, keyboards, and bass) to pansori, which does not seem to be a typical mix. Other fusion artists, such as the SamilNori team even performed traditional music in jazz, pop, and even in rap form. I do believe that in order to appeal to the current generation and to make it more popular, first tie the folk songs to a contemporary medium that will create a segway into the younger generation's interests. Once it has created a fan base, they will want to trace to the original and will become to like the original once more. I am surprised through the dramas and movies that I have seen, the Korean traditional culture appears to be very embedded into the everyday lives. Perhaps preserving the songs has a bit of a way to go, however, the clothes and food do not seem to be fading away.

Here is one version of the Arirang sung by Jang Sa Ik.