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National Musical Instrument ― Kayagum

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

...

Detail

Korean Folk Game ― Paduk

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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Atmosphere of Doing Martial Arts in Koguryo

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

...

Detail

Korean Wrestling with a Long History and Tradition

Jo Oct 4, 2022

Many countries and nations in the world have wrestling, one of strength events. However, hardly any of them are comparable with Korean wrestling, which has such a long history and tradition, a strong national character and a unique form and way of playing, and is imbued with rich and optimistic national sentiments.

Korean wrestling is one of the national sports events, in which two people try to take opponents down by strength and skills holding opponents’ thigh bands or waist bands. The term ssirum (Korean wrestling) came from an archaic word “hilhuda”, which meant making every effort not to be defeated. The sound “hilhum”, the noun form of “hilhuda”, changed little by little into silhum → silum → sirum → ssirum.

Created through the labour of our hard-working people to conquer the nature, ssirum became a typical event of our national sport in ancient times and entered the track of its development. Mural paintings in Koguryo tombs including Ssirum Tomb in the period of the Three Kingdoms (late 4th century) and Jangchon Tomb No.1 (mid-5th century) give a lifelike portrayal of scenes of ssirum which was very popular in those days. In the period of Koryo, too, ssirum was widely done as a popular sporting event. It was so popular that even one of the kings of the Koryo dynasty used to do ssirum with the officials at Court, far from looking after the affairs of the state. “Ssirum” painted by Kim Hong Do, a famous artist in the 18th century, shows that Korean wrestling is a popular national sport that is simple in preparation but diverse in the ways of playing, and that it can be played anywhere anytime.

Korean wrestling has three main features: diversity in the techniques by thigh bands, giving strong stamina, fighting spirit and herculean strength, and a popularized event that can be played without any restrictions on a place, time and players.

Thanks to the warm love of Chairman Kim Jong Il, the “Grand Bull Prize” National Ssirum Contest, unprecedented in the history of Korean ssirum, started on picturesque Moran Hill in Juche 91(2002), as required by the times and the desire of our people. It presented a fine scene where the winner was awarded a grand bull and a gold bell.

Today, under the warm care of the respected Comrade Kim Jong Un, the “Grand Bull Prize” National Ssirum Contest has been held in a splendid way on picturesque Rungna Islet. It has been making great contributions to bringing the national sentiments and fragrance into full bloom among the people across the country.

Im Sung Bin, section head at the Academy of Social Sciences

...

Detail

Korean Folk Game ― Horse Riding

Jo Sep 14, 2022

Horse riding is a game in which riders compete on how fast they run or how skilfully they perform acrobatic acts on running horses.

Ancient Koreans, who regarded speed as the most important merit of a horse, raised native horses in large numbers suited to the topographical conditions of our country with many steep mountains. One of them was Kwahama of Ancient Korea. Kwahama was given the name because it was short enough (about one metre) to pass under fruit trees. It gained great fame in the neighbouring countries, too, as a renowned horse, a swift horse good at running up and down steep mountains.

A large number of horse bones, face pieces and other horse ornaments discovered on several ancient sites including Pomuigusok Site in Musan County, North Hamgyong Province prove that horses were raised in large numbers in Ancient Korea and our ancestors enjoyed riding from early times.

Later in the Middle Ages, excellent riding techniques of ancient Koreans were developed onto a higher level with addition of handling weapons and hurdling on a horse.

People in Koguryo raised numerous kinds of excellent horses like well-known Kwahama and mastered superb riding techniques on them. Such information can also be found in some Chinese historical books. In addition, murals in Koguryo tombs give a lifelike portrayal of riding skills like archery, spear throwing, hunting on horses, etc. In Koguryo there was a hunting competition on Rangnang Hill on March 3 (by lunar calendar) every year. The winners were awarded generous rewards and some of them were offered government positions.

The riding techniques of Koguryo were handed down through Koryo to feudal Joson Dynasty.

“Taejonhoethong” (1865) and “Haedongmyongjangjon” (1794) keep detailed records of archery, spear throwing and hurdling on horses in the first half period of feudal Joson Dynasty. It is recorded that Han Hui Yu, a military officer in the mid-thirteenth century used to fly into and out of the flames on a horse and Kim Tok Ryong, a famous swordsman in the period of Japanese invasion of Korea in 1592, was good at running through and immediately jumping back out narrow doors while Jong Ki Ryong could lightly jump over as wide a pit as six fathoms and leap onto the top of a precipice like a flying bird.

This fully demonstrates the superb riding techniques of our people in the past.

Im Sung Bin, section head at the Academy of Social Sciences

...

Detail

Korean Folk Game ― Tug-of-war

Jo Sep 7, 2022

Tug-of-war is a folk game in which two teams pull at opposite ends of a long rope until one team drags the other over a line on the ground.

From ancient times our people with strong cohesion enjoyed doing tug-of-war that demonstrated communal might involving a lot of people.

Tug-of-war came into being through creative labour of mankind for survival. Whenever they needed to pull or drag up something in remote primitive times, our ancestors used to fasten ropes to them. This turned into a game little by little and eventually became tug-of-war, a competitive sport.

According to historical records, tug-of-war was usually done by peasants, especially in areas with a high proportion of paddy farming.

“Rimhaphilgi” (19th century) wrote that tug-of-war was already popular in the period of Three Kingdoms ― Koguryo, Paekje and Silla.

It became even more popular later in the period of Koryo and feudal Joson Dynasty. “Tongguksesigi”, “Hwagyejip”, “Tonggukyojisungram”, “Thamraji” and other historical books containing contemporary historical records give details of tug-of-war at that time.

Present-day tug-of-war is a little different in the ways of playing and ropes.

First, the thickness and length of a rope were altered to be convenient. After the national liberation, the thickness and length were fixed at 4~5cm and 20~30m each.

Next, unlike the past tug-of-war with main focus on strength only, the teams with tens of prearranged players have to pull the rope over one metre first to be the winner.

That is how tug-of-war was able to develop into a popular folk game in which many people can highly display the collectivist spirit of pooling their strength and wisdom, and players as well as spectators can enjoy themselves anywhere amidst tension, cheerfulness and laughter.

Im Sung Bin, section head at the Academy of Social Sciences

...

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