Jo Dec 21, 2022
The peasant dance created and developed by our people over a long period of time is a Korean folk art where people sing and dance merrily drumming several kinds of percussion instruments like a drum, a gong, a small gong, janggu and a small drum and skillfully turning round decorative tassels. Loved and enjoyed most by our people, it fully reflects the national feelings and sentiments by dint of peculiar depictive elements such as Korean dance moves, Korean tune, Korean folk songs and national instruments, national costumes and decorative tassels, all of which are full of national flavor.
The peasant dance is the oldest of all forms of folk art created by our people. Its birth and development are based on the farm work of our ancestors in early primitive years. Being passed down along with the long national history, it has given our people a hope of life and romance and developed into a folk art reflecting the peculiar emotion of the Korean nation. There are several arrangements of the peasant dance, but it is largely divided into three ― a road dance where a peasant music and dancing group advances in procession to attract people to the dancing venue; a concert dance where several kinds of dancing, instrumental music performance and folk songs are harmoniously combined; a private dance where individual dancers demonstrate their dancing techniques one after another. Unlike other forms of folk art, the peasant dance has a unique feature, i.e. turning of 12-fathom decorative tassels, which adds a lot more excitement to the atmosphere of the dancing venue. Such dancing props as decorative tassels are seen only in the peasant dance of our country.
The peasant dance is a popular folk dance that has always existed in the lives of our people. In popular folk games and on holidays, it boosted merry atmosphere and when they were working, it encouraged their spirit for raising the work efficiency. In the anti-aggression, anti-feudal struggles, it was the cause of horror for enemies but the source of confidence for our people.
The peasant dance still plays an important part in carrying forward the unique traditions of our national art. Today, it resounds even louder all over the cooperative fields of our country and it is giving a full rein to the vitality as a popular form of mass art.
Kim Son Yong, researcher at the Academy of Social Sciences
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Jo Dec 18, 2022
There is a man who has amused and pleased everyone for hundreds of years only with his sleeping posture. It is a figure in the picture “Draught Ox Driver” by painter Kim Tu Ryang (1696-1763) during the feudal Joson dynasty.
The picture gives a lifelike portrayal of a draught ox driver who has fallen into a deep sleep under the shadow after all day’s tiring work. In the middle of the picture is painted a big ox and on the right is an ox driver fast asleep on the grass, which gives a glimpse into the country life in our country at that time. The ox driver in the nap in the shadow of the summer is portrayed in a simple and plain way. The thick untrimmed hair, firmly closed lips, dangling earlobes, raised corners of the eyes, undone front of the jacket and untied cord of the trousers are so impressive. The ox chewing the grass in the middle shows the gentleness and strength of Korean oxen and the neatness of the owner who values and takes good care of it. The surroundings like the bottom of the willow, the drooping branches and the grass feel as if they were emitting the fragrance of soil.
Well-composed and soft with thin coloring, the painting is an excellent masterpiece in the aspect of portrayal of that time. On the one hand, it looks as if you can hear cicadas and other insects buzzing and the farmer snoring, and the ox driver, on the other hand, looks so fast asleep that nobody would be willing to awaken him.
In a word, the painting “Draught Ox Driver” by Kim Tu Ryang exhibited in the Korean Art Gallery is a masterpiece that has stimulated extraordinary interest of a lot of people for hundreds of years only with a sleeping figure.
Jo Hwi Nam, section head at the Academy of Social Sciences
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Jo Dec 14, 2022
Hoejang jogori is a piece of clothing whose collar, breast-tie, cuffs and armholes are decorated with strips of cloth different in color from the ground.
Our people have sewn strips of cloth in different colors onto collars, hems, cuffs, etc. over a long period of time. Sewing colored strips for trimming originated from the need to keep their clothes clean by replacing colored pieces of cloth on the easy-to-get-dirty parts as often as they could. Later, the strips developed into a means of adornment, adding beauty to the Korean jackets.
The Korean jacket with colorful strips was divided into two kinds ― samhoejang jogori (those with strips on the collar, armholes and cuffs) and panhoejang jogori (those with strips on one or two parts of them). Samhoejang jogori was usually worn by young ladies as formal clothes for wedding, while panhoejang jogori was worn by the middle-aged. For its elegance, women loved being dressed in it, not just on formal occasions or holidays but for everyday life.
Hoejang jogori is still popular with the Korean women for its smartness and gorgeous harmony of colors.
Pak Sin Jong, researcher at the Academy of Social Sciences
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Jo Dec 9, 2022
Ryang Song Ji, the main compiler of “Tonggukyojisungnam” (50 volumes), which was an important part of the geography book of our country, was a well-known scholar who made great achievements in several fields. He started learning at the age of six. From a very early age, he was so clever and good at composing poems that he attracted everybody’s attention. He thought that it was of utmost importance for everyone to be well aware of the geography of their native places and homeland, and that learning and technical research should be focused on both the prosperity of their country and making the lives of common people better.
Possessed of many-sided knowledge including history and geography, he was involved in compiling and publishing several books in the fifteenth century. In fact, almost all the geography books and maps of that time were related to him. Among them, geography part of “Sejong Sillok” (Chronicles of King Sejong) and “Tonggukyojisungnam” played very important parts in writing the geography book in the feudal age of our country. Together with 23 scholars including Ro Sa Sin and Kang Hui Maeng, Ryang Song Ji completed “Tonggukyojisungnam” (50 volumes) in 1481 on the basis of “Geography of Eight Provinces” compiled in 1432, geography part of “Sejong Sillok” compiled in 1454 by amending “Geography of Eight Provinces”, “Sinchan Geography” and “Tongmunson” compiled in 1477. With rich and detailed contents, “Tonggukyojisungnam” is a priceless classic of great value in the historical and geographical study of several fields of our country including society, economy, military affairs, culture, etc. around the fifteenth century.
In addition to it, Ryang Song Ji made several maps that demonstrated the level of the Korean cartology of that time.
As a scholar of noble birth, he presented to the feudal government a “reform plan” several times that reflected his creative opinion on making some changes to the affairs in several fields of the feudal system including military affairs and economy for building up the national power and defending the security of the country.
His exploits for the development of geography performed in those days are being conveyed through generations together with “Tonggukyojisungnam”.
Kim Kwang Jo, researcher at the Academy of Social Sciences
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Jo Dec 6, 2022
A collar strip is a long, narrow piece of white cloth sewn onto the collar of Korean clothing for replacement.
Collar strips are based on the national sentiments of our people who have always preferred brightness and neatness and on the Korean jacket whose edges of collars were adorned with narrow pieces of cloth in the period of the Three Kingdoms. In those days, narrow strips different in color from the grounds of clothing were attached to the collar, cuffs or hems of a Korean jacket. In other words, dark-colored strips were chosen for bright grounds and vice versa.
Adorning their clothes with contrasting colors was a peculiar dressing custom reflecting the requirements of life and aesthetic requirements of our people who tended to dress themselves in neat and beautiful clothes. Collars, cuffs and hems usually get dirty and frayed first. In order to keep them clean and new, our people came up with an idea of sewing strips in contrasting color on those parts. These strips, in combination with ornamental aspects, were gradually made more delicate and elegant by the growing cultural standards, aesthetic sense and requirements of life of people. Consequently, it became a custom to sew white strips around the collars on the basis of the national sentiments of our people who respected brightness, neatness and white. White collar strips guaranteed perfect harmony with the ground colors of Korean jackets, providing a lot more beauty and sophistication.
Thus, collar strips that emphasize the neatness, cleanliness and conspicuousness of jackets became the number one feature of a Korean jacket.
Pak Sin Jong, researcher at the Academy of Social Sciences
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Jo Dec 4, 2022
“Sinau” is a unique piece of music for tungso (Korean bamboo flute) composed by the people in Hamgyong Province. Singing and dancing was popular there from early days, so everybody had fine bamboo flutes in their homes. It was their practice to play the tungso whenever they wanted to. Such practice produced a large number of accomplished flutists and a tungso solo “Sinau”, which was played in traditional events like “Field Dance” and on other occasions
In modern ages, solo pieces like kayagum sanjo, komungo sanjo, haegum sanjo and flute sanjo were created with rapid progress of folk instrumental music in our country. Meanwhile, tungso sinau was dominant in Hamgyong Province, where there was a conspicuous development in tungso music.
“Sinau” in Hamgyong Province consisted of a series of pieces in several movements, every one of which was different in time, tempo and emotional color. Handed down through generations among them is passionate, enterprising and triumphant Hwimori Movement, which reflects the anti-aggressive, anti-feudal struggle and optimism of the people in Hamgyong Province. This high-toned movement has been developed with great artistic influences as it gives a vivid description of the locals’ personal qualities and patriotic fighting spirits.
After liberation, under the wise leadership of our Party to carry forward and develop our national music, “Sinau” was improved into a tungso solo and national orchestral music, an ensemble of national instrumental music, and chorus and orchestral music “For the Revolution”. It still resounds across the country, further boosting our people’s enthusiasm for the revolution and struggle.
Jong Son Ha, researcher at the Academy of Social Sciences
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