Kim Jungmin

Pansori is a Korean epic narrative singing tradition performed by a single vocalist (sorikkun) and a barrel drummer (gosu) who accompanies on the buk and shouts improvised interjections (chuimsae). The singer narrates, acts, and sings a long story—combining lyrical arias (sori), spoken narration (aniri), and expressive gestures and mime (ballim)—to portray multiple characters alone on stage. Musically, pansori employs modal systems (jo) such as pyeongjo, ujo, and gyemyeonjo, and cycles of rhythm (jangdan) like jinyangjo (very slow), jungmori, jungjungmori, jajinmori (fast), hwimori (very fast), and eotmori (asymmetrical/5-beat). The vocal style favors powerful projection, intricate ornamentation, flexible timing, and dramatic timbral color, often cultivated through rigorous traditional training. Canonized works (madang) such as Chunhyangga, Simcheongga, Heungbuga, Sugungga, and Jeokbyeokga represent the core repertoire. Pansori is widely recognized as a hallmark of Korean performing arts and has been inscribed by UNESCO as an Intangible Cultural Heritage.

Korean folk music (minyo and related traditions) encompasses the vernacular songs, percussion ensembles, narrative epics, and ritual pieces that grew outside the court in villages and marketplaces across the Korean peninsula. It features cyclic rhythmic patterns (jangdan), pentatonic modal systems such as pyeongjo, ujo, and gyemyeonjo, and distinctive vocal ornamentation (sigimsae) that conveys the affect known as han (a bittersweet, often plaintive sentiment). Core idioms include minyo (regional folksongs like Arirang), pansori (long-form sung storytelling), sinawi (shamanic-rooted ensemble improvisation), and pungmul/nongak (outdoor farmers’ percussion), performed on instruments such as gayageum and geomungo (zithers), haegeum (spike fiddle), daegeum and piri (flutes/oboes), and the four samul percussion instruments (kkwaenggwari, jing, janggu, buk).