Among the DPRK’s intangible cultural heritage items is folk song “Arirang.”
The song symbolic of the Korean folk songs began to be sung as early as the late 14th century, and it was passed through from one mouth to the other for a long time.
According to Songbu and Rirang , a typical of a number of tales about the origin of “Arirang,” once upon a time a young man called Rirang and a girl called Songbu lived as servants at a landlord’s house. In a year of poor harvest they joined a popular uprising that took place in their region. Harassed by the pursuit of government troops, they fled to a deep mountain and tied the knot there. Afterwards, Rirang made up his mind to fight against exploiters and departed after bidding farewell to his dear wife. Seeing a series of rolling hills her husband crossed, Songbu, stricken by sorrow, began to sing a song, which was conveyed later as “Arirang.”
While it was widely sung by the Korean people, the song evolved with a wide variation of local features, namely “Sodo Arirang” and “Tanchon Arirang.”
The lyrics depict the sorrow of parting from a spouse, longing for him, the hope of reunion and tender feelings between lovers, which reflect the distress and wrath of the masses of the working people towards the exploiter society and their ardent desire for happiness in life.
During Japan’s military occupation of Korea in the early years of the last century, the Korean people often gave vent to their resentment at being subjected to distress by singing “Arirang.”
When Son Ki Jong claimed the men’s marathon title at the 1936 Olympic Games in Germany, they sang the song to celebrate his victory.
As a reminder of the past bitter experience of national ruin and resistance, the song is now taking on cheerful tones with new versions reflecting happiness of the people and adapted for orchestral music.
The mass gymnastics and artistic performance “Arirang” premiered in April 2002 was given later on as an annual event, which was endorsed by Guinness World Records in 2007.
In 2014 the folk song was put on the Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, an initiative designed to share, protect and promote the fine intangible cultural heritage of the world among the international community.
Sim Chol Yong
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