Wang San Ak, who is of Koguryo origin, was a proud musician of the Korean nation. He brought about the beginning of Komungo music by devising a national instrument Komungo in the first half of the fourth century, developing its execution and writing pieces for it.
Wang San Ak, who had an intimate acquaintance with music, decided to devise a new instrument with clear sound and great volume and at the same time convenient for playing and suitable for musical performances of national emotion. He, then, made painstaking efforts, finally succeeding in making a Komungo, an instrument with six strings.
He liked playing the Komungo as it has refreshing tone color and is suited to the musical performances of national emotion, and thus, he developed various execution skills and wrote numerous pieces for it.
As its deep and dull stirring tone color and vigorous and bold execution were congenial to the vigorous and optimistic emotion and temperament of Koguryo people and it was also convenient for playing pieces of national coloring, Komungo spread rapidly far and wide and became a representative string instrument of Koguryo.
Later, Koguryo’s Komungo was known to Paekje and Silla, and even to the neighboring countries.
A high-level Komungo solo “Komungosanjo”, which intensively demonstrates traditional Komungo execution, was written in the modern age.
After liberation, Komungo music further developed thanks to the correct policy of literature and art of the Workers’ Party of Korea. Komungo ensemble “Tapping” has been loved very much by the Korean people as it is rich in national color and its vigorous and powerful melody vividly reflects the struggle of the people in the Chollima era.