June 2025
Korean traditional music, or gugak, is not confined to the past but continues to expand. It preserves essential values while simultaneously incorporating new elements. This ability of gugak to embrace both “today” and “tradition” is possible because those who maintain tradition coexist with those who reinterpret it in new ways.
국악은 전통적 가치를 지키며 동시에 현대의 다른 장르나 문화와 결합하며 외연을 확장한다. 전통을 고수하고 국악을 새롭게 해석하는 사람들의 노력으로 국악은 변화할 수 있었다.
Writer. Sung Ji Yeon
© Ajung Company.
These days, gugak is proving its influence by creating synergy with other genres and modern elements. However, the reason gugak has been able to exist as gugak despite changes is because its “roots” are being preserved. The Seo Eui-chul Gadan, a group that preserves these roots, continues their musical activities based on orthodox traditions to protect gugak as a traditional art form. Led by vocalist Seo Eui-chul, who “wants to become a guardian of tradition,” the ensemble brings together performers of ajaeng (7-stringed traditional bowed zither), gayageum (12-stringed traditional zither), daegeum (large bamboo transverse flute), geomungo (traditional fretted zither), jangdan (traditional drum), haegeum (traditional vertical fiddle) and piri (double-reed bamboo flute).
© JAMBINAI.
There was once a prejudice that gugak was old-fashioned and boring. JAMBINAI shattered this stereotype by combining traditional Korean instruments like the haegeum (two-string vertical fiddle), piri, geomungo and saenghwang (traditional wind instrument) with guitar, bass and drums. Audiences say that after witnessing their performances, their preconceived notions about traditional instruments completely transformed.
The haegeum, once thought to produce only delicate sounds, cuts through the air with sharp, intense tones. The geomungo, typically associated with gentle, soothing resonance, commands attention through powerful techniques that leave listeners breathless.
JAMBINAI’s music—a blend of Korean traditional instruments and Western rock instruments—shifts effortlessly between profound lyricism and radical, otherworldly soundscapes. Their unique sound belongs neither to the traditional gugak world nor to the post-modern rock scene; it exists in its own unprecedented space.
For 15 years, JAMBINAI has brought this bold musical vision to 64 cities across 31 countries, performing at prestigious venues from Coachella and Glastonbury to Primavera Sound and even the PyeongChang Olympics closing ceremony.
By revealing unexplored dimensions of gugak, JAMBINAI has helped transform it into a genre of infinite possibilities. It’s no wonder there’s such anticipation for their next performance and musical evolution.
© MAGIC STRAWBERRY SOUND.
In 2025, there’s been a dramatic surge in young Koreans becoming captivated by the fresh appeal of gugak, thanks to Song So-hee—a traditional vocalist who doubles as a singer-songwriter. Song is a well-known figure in Korea, having started performing gyeonggi minyo (folk songs of the Gyeonggi region) at just ten years old. What’s changing the landscape is Song’s introduction of original music that integrates traditional Korean vocal techniques. Her compositions are deeply infused with gugak elements—the clear, pure timbre of gyeonggi minyo that she’s refined throughout her life, and the ornate vocal style where multiple notes adorn single syllables, now merged with electronic and Western instruments to create something entirely new.
In her music, you can feel the presence of a new genre while experiencing a range of complex emotions through her voice—feelings that defy simple categorization. Yet simultaneously, there’s a sense of unfamiliarity created by her background instrumentation and album concepts. Everything typically expected from gugak appears in Song’s work but reimagined in ways that reach listeners in completely unexpected forms.
Song So-hee’s determination to transcend conventional boundaries appears to embody the aspirations of the entire gugak community itself. The day doesn’t seem far off when folk singing, having drawn closer to the public through Song’s voice, will establish itself as a pillar of popular music alongside mainstream genres like pop.
© Black String.
Black String is a group that presents improvised music centered around the geomungo, harmonizing janggu (hourglass-shaped drum), electric guitar, daegeum (large bamboo flute) and vocal sounds. They began with the insight that gugak, like Western jazz, is rooted in improvisation. While they’re often simply described as a fusion gugak-jazz band, this label fails to fully encapsulate their identity—primarily because their music resists easy categorization.
They draw inspiration from various genres within gugak—from court music and folk songs to shamanic rituals and Buddhist chants—sometimes blending all these elements within a single piece. Throughout their performances, they respond to each other’s sounds, continuing their improvisations spontaneously. As they cross boundaries so effortlessly, listening to their music can evoke the feeling of hearing sounds from a nonexistent country, or something that simultaneously feels like music and not music.
Recognizing their potential, the renowned jazz label ACT signed Black String, and they’ve been honored at prestigious world music awards. Their unpredictable approach has effectively created a new breakthrough in the global music market. Though well over a decade has passed since their debut, Black String continues to travel the world’s famous world music festivals, delivering performances that, if forced to specify a genre, can only be described as “Black String.” Every time they create a musical moment, the horizons of gugak expand further.
