Jo Oct 24, 2022
Korean traditional dishes have developed in the course of a long history and they are widely-known to the world for their original flavor, aroma, appearance and colour and for their diversity in kind.
Korean traditional dishes have several good qualities.
First of all, Korean traditional dishes taste exceptionally good.
The original taste of each dish is guaranteed by several sorts of seasonings including soy, bean paste, peppered bean paste, sesame oil, garlic, spring onion and ginger harmoniously mixed with main ingredients ― various kinds of cereals, vegetables, fish, edible herbs, fruit, etc. that are grown in our country. For example, vinegared soy is used for oily dishes while vinegared hot pepper paste or mustard paste is used for slices of raw fish. Minced raw beef is mixed with sesame oil.
Secondly, Korean traditional dishes are wonderful in harmony of colour and delicious-looking.
Fruit of Schizandra chinensis or red pepper is used to make dishes red, and pine pollen or yolk of an egg is added for yellow colour. Green is made by wormwood or green soybeans, and black is made by black sesame or boletus. Fruit like ginkgo nuts or pine nuts are used to decorate dishes. Korean traditional dishes such as sinsollo, yakbap (sweet rice dish mixed with sugar, dates, chestnuts, pine nuts, sesame oil, etc.) and Pyongyang raengmyon (cold noodle) bring water to mouths for their natural colour and beautiful and good-tasting appearance.
Thirdly, diverse and scientific ways of cooking and cultural and hygienic ways of table setting are another feature of Korean traditional dishes.
Fermenting and aging like making kimchi, fermented rice cake and fermented fish together with boiling, baking, frying and stewing are the major ways of cooking, which not only make dishes delicious but also improve people’s health and prevent or cure diseases. As for table setting, cold and pungent dishes are served on small plates while those that are not pungent are put in large bowls. Besides, every food container has their lids for preserving the warmth and aroma of the contents and preventing them from going bad.
The last feature is the diversity.
The Korean people have lived on rice from olden times and the rice alone is made into many kinds including boiled white rice, bean-mixed rice, rice cooked with red-beans, bibimbap (mixed with spices, vegetables, meat, etc.), boiled millet, etc. They have made many kinds of rice cake as special dishes ― glutinous rice cake, rice cake steamed on a layer of pine needles, rice cake with flower patterns imprinted, cake made of rice flour and wormwood paste, steamed rice cake, etc. to name a few. Kimchi, which is original and widely known to the world, is diverse in its kind: whole cabbage kimchi, pickled sliced radishes, watery kimchi made of sliced radish, radish pickles with wild garlic, pickled mustard leaves and stems, etc. The number of Korean dishes is beyond enumeration ― dishes cooked in different seasons, those for traditional holidays and those cooked in different parts and so on.
Korean national dishes with a long history and tradition are still being developed and enriched in conformity with the aesthetic senses of the times and the demands of the people.
Pak Sung Gil, researcher at the Academy of Social Sciences
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Jo Oct 21, 2022
Janggu (a long Korean drum that tapers in the middle) is one of the representative national percussion instruments loved and enjoyed by the Korean people for a long period of time.
Janggu originated in Koguryo. According to historical records, it was called “yogo” as it was a drum carried at the waist. “Yogo”, which looks similar to present janggu, is painted on the murals in Tomb No.4 and Tomb No. 5 of Jian Five Tombs, Koguryo tombs, and it is recorded in a number of historical books that Koguryo had a yogo. This shows that yogo was a predecessor of janggu and the Korean people have used it since the period of Koguryo.
Yogo, made by Koguryo people, was handed down to the people in Palhae. The yogo from Koguryo and Palhae was improved to be similar to the present janggu during the Koryo and the feudal Joson dynasties, and it was called janggo.
Janggu is a percussion instrument of an extraordinary shape, which has two resonance boxes that are linked together.
Its balanced and beautiful look aroused people’s attachment to janggu. The left-hand side with a big resonance box is called kungphyon, while the right-hand side with a small box is chaephyon. You play it by hitting the sides with a janggu stick in the right hand. The kungphyon is made of thick skin and the chaephyon is made of thin skin.
In the respect of a tone and a sound, the kungphyon produces low soft sounds while the chaephyon makes high sharp sounds. Therefore, the janggu plays the role of two drums and expresses satisfactorily a variety of Korean rhythms and exquisite tunes.
As the janggu had a very wide range of applications for a long period of time and made progress in various playing techniques, it played the role of a conductor in a small orchestra and it was even used as a solo instrument.
With rhythms of various characters that excite a national zest, the janggu makes a great contribution to improving the performances of national music and it is also used as stage props in a music and dance.
With a time-honoured tradition, the janggu has been developed in every way. It is a proud national percussion instrument that is still loved by the Korean people and makes a positive contribution to the development of national music and the cultural and emotional life.
Ri Yong Ho, section head at the Academy of Social Sciences
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Jo Oct 18, 2022
It is Korean nation that invented and used metal types, one of the epoch-making events in the history of development of printing technology, in the first half of 12th century for the very first time in the world.
People in Koryo, first unified state of the Korean nation, invented and used metal types by further developing wood-block printing and wood-type printing technologies with a long history, thus making a great contribution to the development of publishing and printing technology of the world.
In 1958, metal types moulded in brass in the first half of 12th century were found at Manwoltae in Kaesong, which was the capital of Koryo. These types made of copper, tin and lead as main constituents and silicon, iron and aluminium as subsidiary constituents are 12mm long, 10mm wide and 8mm thick.
According to “Tonggukrisanggukjip” by Ri Kyu Bo, a famous writer in Koryo, 28 copies of fifty-volume “Sangjongryemun” (“Sangjonggogumrye”) were printed on Kanghwa Island between 1234 and 1241. This is still accepted as the longest record in the world associated with the use of metal types.
Other historical books including “History of Koryo” say that several Buddhist books were printed in metal types, which proves that by the beginning of 13th centry printing in metal types was widely conducted on a fairly high level and that the time of its invention in Koryo was the first half of 12th century at the latest.
The fact that Gutenberg from Germany made metal types in 1450 implies that Koryo was as long as 200 years before Europe in the use of metal types.
“Paekunhwasangchorokbuljojikjisimcheyojol”(“Jikjisimgyong” for short) published in Koryo in 1377 is accepted as the world’s oldest copy printed in metal types of all remaining ones and registered at UNESCO. This book was on display in a book exhibition held in Paris, France, under the sponsorship of UNESCO in 1972, where it was appraised as the oldest of all existing printed materials in metal types, and this was informed to every country in the world.
The world’s first metal types are a great pride of the talented and civilized Korean nation with a time-honoured history and brilliant culture.
Kim Kwang Jo, researcher at the Academy of Social Sciences
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Jo Oct 14, 2022
Kayagum (Korean harp) was contrived by Uruk, a talented musician in Kaya in the early 6th century. It was called so because it was from Kaya.
After its birth, the kayagum was inherited without many changes in its shape through the periods of the Three Kingdoms, Palhae and Later Silla and Koryo to the feudal Joson dynasty as a unique national stringed instrument loved by our people. The ways of making and playing the kayagum was fixed in “Akhakgwebom” compiled at the end of 15th century.
According to Akhakgwebom, the kayagum has 12 strings stretched on the rectangular resonance box. They are tuned in pentachord. The resonance box was first made of paulownia. In modern days, the top plate stayed the same, but the under and the side ones were made of chestnut.
The kayagum was widely used as an instrument for solos, ensembles and accompaniment to songs for a long period of time and in the course of it, famous kayagum players and pieces were produced. In addition, a solo piece in the form of a chain like kayagum sanjo (a kind of solo) was born toward the end of the 19th century. The kayagum was handed down as an excellent musical instrument congenial to our people’s sentiments since it produced springy, elegant and soft sounds, but the prolonged feudal fetters and the Japanese obliteration policy of national culture before liberation from the Japanese rule prevented the kayagum from developing into a modern one and thus it had some drawbacks.
After liberation, the kayagum was developed into a modern instrument under the wise guidance of our Party. Compared to the conventional one, the improved kayagum has a clearer and greater resonance. The number of strings has increased to 21 and it has a wider range based on a heptatonic scale, which makes it possible to play any pieces freely on it. The ways of playing have also become more diverse and rich.
At present, the kayagum is used not only for solos but also for several kinds of ensembles such as duets, trios, quartets or accompaniments as a major instrument responsible for melodies and rhythms.
Ri Yong Ho, section head at the Academy of Social Sciences
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Jo Oct 11, 2022
Paduk is a game in which two people place paduk pieces on the board in turns to win more positions. At first, paduk was as simple as a koni game (one of the Korean folk games), but it was combined with the outlook on the universe of ancient people to develop into the present-day paduk.
In ancient times, people had naïve opinions ― for example, the sky was round and the earth was rectangular. So the flatness of a paduk board denoted the ground and the rectangle of the board signified four seasons. And 361 crossing points meant one year. Why the point in the very middle of the board was called “chonwonjom” (center mark on the paduk board) was that people thought the earth was the center of the universe. It is said that the roundness of paduk pieces symbolized the round universe and the black and white colours of the two sides of the pieces meant the day and the night.
The term “paduk” is a native Korean word which means placing pieces on the board. It was first pronounced like “podol” and it gradually changed into “podok” → “padok” → “paduk”. Paduk is recorded as “padok” in “Hunmongjahoe” published in 1527 and it has been called so in some south coastal areas until today.
Paduk was widely played in the period of the Three Kingdoms as well as in ancient times and it exerted remarkable influences on foreign countries. According to “History of Koryo”, some Koryo people including Kwak Hui Bun and Jo Jong Thong made a playing tour of paduk to Yuan.
During the feudal Joson dynasty, paduk was an intelligent game that attracted interest of the feudal government as well as ordinary people.
Due to the Japanese wicked maneuvres to obliterate national culture, paduk was eclipsed for years, but under the people-centred socialist system of our own style, it was able to develop into a national sporting event, a popular intelligent game. Excellent paduk players display their paduk skills in the paduk events, which are held every year. Furthermore, our players have won medals in international amateur paduk games, exalting the honour of their motherland. In particular, paduk is even more popular with children of preschool age, schoolchildren and youth. They are constantly improving their knowledge and skills in paduk, winning medals in international competitions.
At present, our people enjoy themselves playing paduk in the cultural recreation centres that are found everywhere they go.
Im Sung Bin, section head at the Academy of Social Sciences
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Jo Oct 7, 2022
In Koguryo, a nationwide atmosphere of giving priority to martial arts was established and national military arts like riding, archery, etc. were encouraged. Koguryo people trained their strong spiritual and physical strength and will by doing martial arts.
The neighbouring countries were foreign forces of aggression that were constantly threatening the sovereignty of Koguryo. They showed their undisguised aggressive attempts and made constant invades. To make matters worse, the countries of the same blood, Paekje and Silla, too, were hindering Koguryo’s policy of unifying the three kingdoms in every possible way by invading the territory of Koguryo.
From such pressing requirements, Koguryo created the atmosphere of doing martial arts and took measures to encourage it so that all the people would possess patriotism and spirit of defending their native places, and regard defending their country from foreign invasions as their obligation and glory.
First, Koguryo made it a social climate to do martial arts throughout the country. The people considered displaying courage in battlefields as their obligation.
Next, necessary measures were taken to encourage it. Having fully recognized the might and importance of martial arts on horses with great capabilities of mobility, attack and strike in the wars in the middle ages, Koguryo laid stress on increasing the number of cavalrymen when organizing the army and intensified horse-riding martial arts training such as archery, fencing, spearing and doing acrobatics and galloping, etc. Infantry forces were also strengthened and martial arts training with and without equipment were actively conducted among them. In addition, national competitions on martial arts were frequently held and the system of offering government services to qualified warriors on the basis of those competitions was established. On March 3 every year, hunting contests were held on Rangnang Hill. Here, people were tested on their martial arts practised for a year, and winners were awarded commendations. The story of Ondal, a man of low birth, who was appointed to a government post by displaying in a hunting contest his high skills in martial arts gained through his constant practice, is recorded in Samguksagi (Chronicles of the Three Kingdoms).
Ordinary people also made doing martial arts a part of their everyday life and a system of teaching martial arts was established for this. Not only martial arts matches but also other national sports games and amusements held on several occasions including holidays were all focused on practicing martial arts and building up physical strength.
In order to bring up coming generations to be able ones equipped with ample knowledge and strong physical strength, they prepared a place called kyongdang for teaching ordinary people martial arts. Here, young people trained their martial arts and bodily force, and matches for testing their skills were frequently arranged in various forms and ways.
On the basis of the historical environments and conditions and the atmosphere of doing martial arts, Koguryo enriched the contents and methods of the national martial arts of the Middle Ages in keeping with the developing reality.
The climate of doing martial arts in Koguryo provided the people with high national pride and confidence, strong physical strength and courage, and it gave positive influences on vigorously pushing ahead with the cause of unifying the three kingdoms and exalting the honour and dignity of Koguryo, a thousand-year power, by successfully repulsing constant large-scale aggressions of foreign forces.
Im Sung Bin, section head at the Academy of Social Sciences
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