Arirang1 has been regarded as the representative Korean folk song that expresses

the ethos of the Korean people. Koreans adore this song as the 'national song'.

Koreans abroad sing it in 'memory of their mother country. Whenever two Koreas (of

South and North) agree to organize a unified sport team in International-level sports

competitions, this song represents the 'national anthem' as does the Flag of the Korean

Peninsula. In fact, Arirang is the cultural icon of 'Koreaness.'

Most Korean people believe that Arirang songs2 have a long history. Some scholars

trace the root of the word 'arirang' back to the establishing myths of ancient states.

Many people believe that the Arirang song originated from the 14th-century tale of

'seven wise men in a bamboo forest,' as shown in Kang'w6n-do Arirang, which is

popular in Kang'w6n-do, the mid-eastern province, or the legend of Arang in the

middle of the Chosun Dynasty (1392-1910), as exemplified in Miryang Arirang, which

is originated in Miryang City in southeastern area.

However, the Arirang song is not just a century-old traditional song. It emerged as

a popular folk song during the Japanese annexation (1910-1945). Many local versions

of Arirang have become 'modern' folk songs in the last century. I use the term

1 In this paper, I romanize the Korean terms by the conventional McCune-Reischauer

Romanization system, except with familiar names like Seoul and Chosun. I do not italicize the title of

songs.

2 I use the term "Arirang song(s)" as a collective term to designate many versions of Arirang songs

widespread in the Korean peninsula and neighboring countries where Korean immigrants have

settled. The term "Arirang" defines a specific song which is popular in the Seoul area.

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'modern' for they were made by specific individuals in a short period of time in

contrast to traditional folk songs which are the result of the communal product for a

long period of time (Herzog 1949-50:1034). Among the four representative Arirang

songs- Arirang, Kang'won-do Arirang, Chindo Arirang, and Miryang Arirang

representing each region in Korea, that is, Seoul, the mid-eastern province, the

southwestern province, and the southeastern province, respectively - three evolved

in the first half of the 20th century. Kang'won-do Arirang is the exceptional, ancient

version sung by the folk in mountainous areas and known as the 'genuine' folk song

from which many other versions derived (Yi P.H. 1997).

In the first half of the 20th century, countless local Arirang songs were made. It was

the result of modernity and the historical context of colonization in the last century. I

do not mean that all of the Arirang songs were 'composed' by the musician but it

became widely popular among the people, reflecting the social and cultural condition

of the time. In this paper, I will examine how the Arirang song emerged to become the

'song of the Korean people' during the colonial period in Korea.

Modemizaton of Arirang

The Arirang song was first made 'public' by an American missionary, Homer B.

Hulbert, in 1896. In his article, entitled "Korean Vocal Music," Hulbert (1896)

provided a version of Arirang in the Western staff notation (Mus. Ex. 1), which is the

first notated folk song in the Korean music history. It is a version of local Arirang

songs widely sung in Seoul and the Central Province at the time.