16/08/2025

Excerpts from the History of Korean Popular Music [1]

Definitions and the First Steps (1910–1927)



When attempting a historical overview of Korean popular music, we must first define which types of music fall under this category. Since our current objective is not a theoretical debate, I will simply adopt the definition provided by Lee Ching-ching, which is also used in the Encyclopedia of Korean Culture:

Songs that have spread through mass media and commercial performances since the dawn of the modern era, and are popular among the general public. Hits.

This is the narrowest definition, and the one upon which there is total consensus. Accordingly, folk music (originating before the modern era and transmitted through oral tradition) and classical music—including its various arrangements—do not belong to the sphere of pop music. However, there are points of intersection and overlap, such as folk-revival or certain classical adaptations. Because popular music is an incredibly diverse phenomenon, numerous attempts have been made to define it more precisely, often leading to significantly different interpretations—particularly regarding the ambiguity surrounding its relationship with "world music."

One distinction is worth mentioning:
Popular music is a broad term, both historically and in terms of the genres it encompasses. It includes popular music from earlier eras that differed from traditional folk music, typically consumed in urban environments (in the West, this includes troubadour songs, court and ballroom dance music, variety/vaudeville music, operetta, musicals, jazz, and other contemporary light music genres). Although the term "popular music" is often abbreviated as "pop music," the latter also denotes a specific genre that constitutes only one sub-unit within the broader circle of popular music.



Left: Unidentified - Kanazawa Phonograph Museum - Kanazawa, Japan - DSC00894.jpg ©CC0
Right: Nitto 3, Nitto Gramophone Co., Ltd., Japan, undated - Kanazawa Phonograph Museum - Kanazawa, Japan - DSC01032.jpg ©CC0



Since the simultaneous presence of mass production and mass media typically emerged in the period following World War II, this environment favored the expansion of mass-cultural products; the "explosion" of pop music is also tied to this era. It was then that a new branch of the entertainment industry reached maturity (primarily in America), extending far beyond the realm of music and finally gaining its name in the 1960s: modern pop culture. Pop music was one of the engines behind the creation of this cultural phenomenon and remains an integral part of it. Among many other characteristics, a fundamental trait of pop music is its particular attention to the needs of its target audience—simultaneously serving and shaping it—and it was the first movement to target the youth as an independent consumer class. In this context, "pop culture" and "pop art" are not interchangeable terms; the latter refers to the artistic movement between 1950 and 1970 that began in Britain and flourished in the United States.



McDonald's All-American, Look for the Golden Arches (Public Domain)
The emergence of popular culture in all areas of life



The Jackson 5 1972.JPG (Public Domain)
Pop music as a genre of popular music



Andy Warhol (5987376588).jpg ©CC
Pop art: Andy Warhol's works at the Tate Modern in London


In the West, early 1950s rock and roll is often identified as the "antechamber" of pop music—but where do the roots of pop music reach in the distant (or seemingly distant) world of Korea?

We must recall that the Joseon Empire, following bloody attacks on the country, pursued a policy of total isolation for much of the 19th century to preserve internal and external stability as well as its cultural identity. This era of the "Hermit Kingdom" came to an end with the annexation by Japan in 1910. During those years of isolation, the world of Korean music—whether courtly or folk—was rarely touched by foreign influence. However, from the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, this situation changed significantly. This was primarily due to the Japanese occupiers bringing their own music as well as foreign music that had influenced them. Furthermore, even before the occupation, people from many parts of the world had entered Joseon, allowing Koreans to come into direct contact with representatives of other cultures.

It is worth examining two film excerpts that reveal these changes. The first is from the drama Jejoongwon, set in 1884. We see a "party" at a private residence where the participants are mostly foreigners enjoying themselves according to their own customs—some Koreans look on in wonder, while others are already trying to actively participate. The second excerpt is from the film Modern Boy. We are in the 1930s, when the Japanese were already well-established in the annexed country. They ensured their own comfort with their own forms of entertainment. Trends felt in Japan influenced the offerings of the exclusive clubs operated in Joseon, which Koreans could enter either as musicians or as collaborators. We see similar scenes in many films and series: the atmosphere is Americanized and rather sultry, swing dominates the dance floor, and jazz is almost always playing on stage, though other types of popular music also appear.



Channel: Ricemegatron Expert Video: Jejoongwon_1884 (Fair Use)
       Scene from the Korean TV drama Jejoongwon


Channel: Ricemegatron Expert Video: Modern Boy [jelenet] (Fair Use)
       Scene from the Korean movie Modern Boy


Let us briefly review the characteristics of Japanese popular music of this era, which was generally called ryūkōka, although later this term referred only to popular music between 1920 and 1960. The introduction of Western instruments occurred during the Meiji era (1868–1912), and by the following Taishō era (1912–1926), instruments and musical techniques were already widely known. Ryūkōka showed an interesting musical blending, as its roots reached somewhat into Western classical music, but the influences of blues and jazz were also strongly felt. Melodies were mostly written according to the Japanese pentatonic scale, and singing employed legato (connecting the notes), in contrast to the kobushi vocal style characteristic of enka. Modern enka and poppusu are two genres that later branched off from ryūkōka; nevertheless, several ryūkōka singers spoke quite disparagingly of enka.



Channel: Adam Terran Video: Noriko Awaya - Wakare No Blues (1937) (Fair Use)



A few words on the state of Japanese light music until the end of World War II: while famous compositions like Noriko Awaya's "Wakare No Blues" (Farewell Blues) were still appearing as late as 1937—in which composer Ryoichi Hattori attempted to create an indigenous Japanese music reminiscent of the flavor of blues—the doors slowly closed on jazz, which was banned during the war years. Consequently, many musicians fled abroad; Hattori, for example, went to Shanghai. The place of earlier music was temporarily taken by military marches, but after the war, a true "jazz boom" occurred in Japan. As a matter of interest, besides the returning musicians, many Chinese musicians were also found there, having fled to Japan to escape the Communist takeover.



A collection of pre-World War II Japanese music:


Now, back to Korea—or Joseon, as the Japanese called their newly annexed "province." It is certain that for Koreans, entertainment music was not their greatest concern, as they were primarily occupied with their changed status, their struggle for independence against the Japanese, or perhaps developing a forced form of coexistence. At the same time, they were being overwhelmed by new influences and were clearly searching for modern forms of self-expression that spoke to them and suited them.

From the time preceding the first steps of pop music, the Dong-A Ilbo reported on the demonstration of the gramophone in Seoul and the hearing of the first recordings, which took place during a banquet in April 1899. The material for the first record—not containing pop music—was recorded in Osaka in 1907, shipped from there to the United States where the records were pressed, and then sent back to Joseon for sale. Initially, this was the standard route for releasing albums. Japan became capable of producing its own records in 1909, and the following year they began releasing Korean records as well, first making recordings in Japan and then in Seoul, where a temporary studio was established in 1925. The consequence of all this was that until the end of World War II, Joseon was subjected to the Japanese market in this field as well.

Thus, it is even more understandable that the first Korean attempts to create their own pop music occurred by refashioning Japanese finished products. There is nothing particularly new in writing original Korean lyrics to popular tunes and trying to give voice to one's feelings through them—this happens often all over the world and is a completely general phenomenon in folk music.

According to one report, 12 songs with Korean lyrics were released on record between 1910 and 1929. Of these, four are Korean lyrics sung to foreign melodies but are not original writings, only translations of the originals; therefore, these cannot be considered Korean intellectual products in any sense. In another three, the foreign melody is paired with original lyrics written by Koreans, while the rest are Korean creations in both music and lyrics.

The fate of Korean gramophone records has been quite turbulent; many simply perished. There are some of which only a few copies remain; these today change hands at astronomical prices if they are put up for sale. Recordings from the era are primarily preserved by the National Gugak Center and the Korean Popular Music Museum, but much material can also be found in the National Library and the archives of public service broadcasters.

This article features songs belonging to the second group. This fusion of an adopted melody and new, original lyrics was given its own name: such songs were designated as changga (창가).


1923


The first song in which a foreign melody received new Korean lyrics was released in 1923 by Ilchuk (Columbia) Records. Although it is important precisely because of its lyrics, the name of the lyricist has been forgotten.

In fact, the song was recorded two years earlier, which was even closer to the 1919 independence movements. The loss of independence and the sense of hopelessness shine through the song's lyrics, yet hope glimmers at the end—interestingly, not as a gift to be waited for, but as something to be acted upon through one's own strength.


Channel: 영원이되는한순간 Video: 이 풍진 세월 - 박채선 & 이류색 (Fair Use)


However, what we hear has a long history. The title of the song recorded by Park Chae-seon and Lee Ryu-saek is "These Windy Years", which is the title of the new Korean lyrics. But the melody is by no means Japanese; they adopted it too, applying it with various lyrics and adapting it to different situations.

The path of these various transformations:

  • 1737–40: Appears as a jig melody titled "Piso ar y Gwair / Piss on the Grass" published by John Walsh in London in Volume 3 of Caledonian Country Dances.

  • Moving to America: Sung as a church hymn.

  • 1805: American composer Jeremiah Ingalls published his song collection The Christian Harmony, in which the melody appears under the titles "When We Arrived At Home / Garden Hymn / Love Divine."

  • 1885: Distributed in Japan as a school song titled "Yumenoge."

  • 1910: Sung in Japan as a lament titled "Shichirigahama's Lament / Mashiroki Fuji no ne" in memory of student victims of a ferry accident.

  • 1910: The Christian believer In Hak-cheon arranged it and wrote new lyrics titled "These Windy Years." This version was recorded in 1921 and released on record in 1923.

  • 1933: The song was sung by Chae Gyu-yeop under the title "Hope Song" (Reménydal), which remains in use to this day.

  • 1936: Sung by Kim An-ra titled "Memories of a Comrade / A Schoolgirl's Song."


The above, unfolded in much greater detail with many video supplements to hear the individual versions, can be found on this blog:

이 풍진 세월(1921), 희망가(1933), 동무의 친구(1936)


Let us take a closer look at the Korean version of the lyrics. It can be seen that in the text, supplements written with hanja (Chinese characters) were added in parentheses to ensure the precise understanding of certain parts.


희망가

이 풍진 세상(風塵世上)을 만났으니 나에 희망이 무엇인가
부귀와 영화를 누렸으면 희망이 족(足)할까
푸른 하날 밝은 달 아래서 곰곰히 생각허면
세상만사가 춘몽중(春夢中)에 다시 꿈 같구나

담소화답(談笑和答)에 엄벙덤벙 주색잽기(酒色雜技)에 침범하야
전정사업(前程事業)을 (잊었)으면 희망이 족할까
반공중(半空中)에 둥근 달 아래서 갈 길 모르는 저 청년아
부패사업(腐敗事業)을 개량(改良)토록 인도(引導)합소서

나의 할 바는 태산같고 가는 세월은 살 같으니
어느 누구가 도와주면 희망이 족헐가
돋는 달과 지는 해야 바쁜 일 없거든 가지 마라
전정사업(前程事業)에 전후사(前後事)를 분별키 어려워

밝고도 또 밝은 이 세계를 혼돈천지(混沌天地)로 아는 자야
무삼 연고로 이때까지 꿈속에 살었나
이제부터 웬수에 마음에 (난망)을 저바리고
문명에 학문을 배우기를 시급히 지어라



Song of Hope

(Literal translation)


Since you have met this world of wind and dust, what is your hope?
Would your hope be fulfilled if you enjoyed wealth and honor?
When you ponder deeply under the blue sky and the bright moon,
All things in this world are like a dream within a spring dream.

If you immerse yourself in laughter and idle chatter, lost in wine and lust,
And forget your future path and purpose—would your hope be fulfilled?
O youth, who knows not where to go under the moon in mid-air,
May you be led to reform your broken deeds and find the way.

My duties are like a great mountain, and the passing time is like an arrow,
If someone were to help me, would my hope be fulfilled?
O rising moon and setting sun, if you have no urgent business, do not depart,
For it is hard to discern the truth of what lies before and after.

O you, who perceive this bright, bright world as a realm of chaos,
For what reason have you lived in a dream until now?
From this moment, cast away the lingering resentment toward your enemies,
And hasten to master the learning of civilization.
1926


This year marked the release of Yun Sim-deok’s greatest hit, "The Death Song" (Psa-ui Chan-mi). Due to the fascinating and tragic circumstances surrounding it, I have dedicated a separate entry to it—look for it in the next post. 

1926: Jaramera

This recording stands in stark contrast to the previous ones; it is a cheerful, upbeat song. Originally recorded by Yun Sim-deok in 1922, it appeared on her multi-track album in 1926. However, that original recording is nowhere to be found and is likely lost. Therefore, we listen to the version from a 1928 record, sung by Lee Jeong-suk.

The melody is said to be based on a Japanese hit called Nankyeongjong (Nankinmachi), referring to the Chinese quarters of Japanese cities. While the lyricist’s identity is crucial, unfortunately, it remains unknown. The Korean title is likely the colloquial local name for the Jongno intersection.



Lee Jeong-suk 이정숙(貞淑)



Very little is known about the singer Lee Jeong-suk, despite her being one of the first three most popular singers of her time. Her personal data is lost; even her birth and death dates, as well as her family background, remain a mystery. She debuted in 1924 and released numerous recordings until 1934, including children’s songs. 



Channel: Ricemegatron Expert Video: Jaramera RAW (Fair Use)



자라메라


종로 네거리에 해가 저물어 
엿장사 영감님 지나가누나 
가위 소리 딱딱딱딱 엿목판 메고 
설렁설렁 다니는 늙은 엿장사 
단쇠 단쇠 엿단쇠 단쇠 단쇠 엿단쇠 엿을 삽시오 
은동아 복동아 자아 자 어서 자고 내일 만나자 

약현(藥峴) 산모롱에 해가 저물어 
어정어정 돌아가는 늙은 엿장사 
딱딱딱딱 딱따가딱딱 가위 소리 내면서 
어정어정 돌아가는 늙은 엿장사 
전깃불이 들어왔네 저녁 연기 자욱했네 내일 또 보세 
자아 자 어서 자고 자아 자 어서 자고 내일 또 가자



Jaramera

(Literal translation)


The sun sets at the Jongno crossroads,
The old taffy-seller is passing by.
Click-clack, click-clack go the scissors, carrying the taffy tray,
Wandering aimlessly, the old taffy-seller.
"Sweet, sweet, honey-sweet taffy! Sweet, sweet, honey-sweet taffy! Buy some taffy!"
"Eundong, Bokdong, come now, sleep quickly, and let’s meet tomorrow."

The sun sets at the corner of Yak-hyeon,
The old taffy-seller is trudging back.
Click-clack, click-clack, click-clack-clack-clack, making the sound of scissors,
The old taffy-seller is trudging back.
"The electric lights are on, the evening smoke is thick, see you again tomorrow."
"Come now, sleep quickly! Come now, sleep quickly! Let’s go again tomorrow."


The following recording opened a new chapter in the history of popular songs, as 낙화유수 (Falling Flowers and Flowing Water) was already an entirely Korean composition, both in terms of its music and lyrics. In Part 3, we will continue with this song, but before that, we will linger a bit longer on the story of Hymn of Death.


→ On to Part 2





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