Culture Focus

While the passing on of recreation was closely related to people's lives in pre-modern times, these days Korean traditional recreation is revised and passed down within an entirely new cultural context. Most handing down of traditional recreation was abandoned due to the Japanese colonization of Korea, the Korean War, and industrialization.

Tug-of-war continues to be passed down as a seasonal custom in some areas as it is one of only a few types of traditional daedong (great unity) recreation still enjoyed today. Apart from this, many types of recreation for children–hide-and-seek (sumbakkokjil), biseokchigi, and horse riding (maltagi)–and recreation for individuals–paengichigi and jegichagi–continue to be passed down. In addition, yut nori is still played. This is most likely due to the simplicity of the game equipment and the flexibility of the rules, which have allowed yut nori to adapt to the changing times.

In some areas, traditional recreation is passed down through regional festivals as a type of cultural resource. Traditional recreation may also be designated as either an 'Intangible Cultural Heritage' or a 'Regional Intangible Cultural Heritage'.

1. Namsadang nori (Itinerant Troupe Performance)

Namsadang nori is a traditional performance and recreation passed down through a group of professional performers called namsadangpae (itinerant performance troupe). It is a comprehensive performance including song and dance, music, and play. While there were many more categories in the past, performances today include the following six categories: pungmul (drum and dance), deotboegi (mask dramas), eoreum (rope walking), deolmi (puppet plays), salpan (floor acrobatics), beona (saucer spinning). As a representation of Korean traditional culture and a comprehensive form of recreation, namsadang nori was designated Important Intangible Cultural Heritage No. 3 in 1964 and as a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2009.

The namsadangpae traveled from town to town, performing in many different places and receiving payment to cover their living expenses. They were based at Buddhist temples and traveled to agricultural and fishing villages, performing mainly for the common people. They had close relationships with Buddhist temples. The namsadangpae centered in Seoun-myeon, Anseongsi, Gyeonggi-do, had a close connection with the neighboring Cheongnyongsa. They sold charms from this temple during their tours and donated a portion of the revenues to the temple. At the beginning of the twentieth century, the namsadangpae enjoyed great influence as they traveled and performed all the way from central Korea to distant Manchuria in China. During this time, they influenced the traditions of each region's pungmul, mask dance, and seasonal recreation.

Currently, Seoul's namsadangpae is the main group of performers active today, while Anseong's namsadangpae remains only partially active. However, there were dozens of namsadang groups active at the beginning of the twentieth century. There were also many other professional performance groups with different characteristics, including geollippae, jungmaegupae, sadangpae (yeosadangpae), gwangdaepae, sotdaejaengipae, choranipae, and sandaenoripae. However, due to the rapid changes of the times and the emergence of various media and the Internet, these traditional performing groups started to disappear in the 1920s, and only namsadangpae remains today. The general characteristics of the six arts that are still being performed today are as follows.

① Namsadang pungmul: Namsadang pungmul plays the role of opening the Namsadang performance by grabbing the people's attention and building excitement. It typically consists of exciting rhythms, various movements, performances by each instrument, and various dances. It is subdivided into a parade in the streets and individual performances on a stage.

② Deotboegi (mask drama): Deotboegi is a theatrical performance in which the actors wear masks. The meaning of the name comes from the phrase "add and see," implying that the world makes more sense when wearing a mask. The performance involves thirteen masked characters. Up until the beginning of the twentieth century, the masks were made of wood, but they are now made from gourds. The performance consists of four parts. First, the "Madangssisimadang" starts building the ambience for the performance and includes the singing of the ritual song "Binari." The second part, the "Omtaljabimadang," ridicules a hideous monk. In the third act, the "Saennimjabimadang," a servant named Malttugi makes fun of a yangban (ruling class). This act is meant to be a criticism of the yangban class. In the fourth act, the "Meokjungjabimadang," Chwibari ridicules an apostate monk for running around with young girls. There are many similarities between these performances and other mask dances.

③ Eoreum (rope walking): Eoreum refers to tightrope walking or dancing. It includes a spectacular show of the tightrope walker's (eoreumsani) skills, and the action is accompanied by witty conversation between the rope walker and a clown named Maehossi (a joker). Not only does the performer dance on the rope, but he must also insert spontaneous jokes and songs to add to the fun of the performance. The rope is raised 2.5 meters off the ground and is 9–10 meters long. Basic skills include walking, sitting, sitting and standing, running, jumping, and twisting. The performer may make these movements forward, backward, or even go back and forth. The ropewalker may show scenes from daily life on the rope including putting on makeup, planting beans, and making fun of couples.

④ Deolmi (puppet play): Deolmi is a puppet show and is also called kkokdugaksinoreum. There are some fifty-one puppets of about thirty-one different types. The show is performed in a box covered in black cloth raised about 120 centimeters above the ground. The show is unique in that it involves jokes between the puppeteer, Daejabi, who performs on the stage, and a musician, Sanbaji, who sits amongst the crowd.

⑤ Salpan (floor acrobatics): Salpan refers to acrobatics performed on the ground. Basic skills include tumbling forward and backward, summersaults, twisting in the air, walking on hands, spinning three times in the air, and crab walking.

⑥ Beona spinning (saucer spinning): Beona is a type of recreation in which the performers spin dishes use various implements to spin dishes above their heads. They usually use a rod about 40 centimeters long, which may be a tobacco pipe, knife, or reel, or they may use a combination of these implements. The spinning object, called a beona, may be any one of a variety of objects like a dish or brass basin. There are also many different skills including spinning, tossing and catching, spinning while standing on one leg, tossing and catching while standing on one leg, etc. The beona is usually covered in leather and looks similar to a small drum.

2. Ssireum (Korean wrestling)

Ssireum is a traditional form of sporting recreation passed down both as a form of entertainment during seasonal festivalsincluding Dano, Chuseok (the fifteenth day of the eighth lunar month), and Baekjung (the fifteenth day of the seventh lunar month)-and as a type of physical training for soldiers.

The origin of the word ssireum is believed to be the Korean verb ssiruda, meaning "to confront each other and compare strength." Gakjeo, baekhui, and gakgi are other names for this recreation, and these names also include the meaning "to confront and fight." The first records of ssireum in Korea were found in the murals of two burial sites dating from the Goguryeo period, the Gakjeochong Tomb and Tomb No. 1 in Jangcheon. The picture of ssireum in the Gakjeochong Tomb, which is painted on the east wall of the burial room, includes two wrestlers and one spectator. This suggests that ssireum was not merely a game played for enjoyment between two people, but actually a formal match that required judging and refereeing.

Ssireum retained its status as a formal sport into the Goryeo period. We see many references to ssireum from the Yuan interference period. The king and eunuchs played ssireum during this time to alleviate their groggy moods. This was called gakjeohui, which may be viewed as a performance or event in the form of a ssireum competition. These events contributed to the spread of ssireum because it promoted the development of ssireum skills and turned it into a spectator sport.

During this time, ssireum was played by a group of people called yongsa (warriors) who had special unarmed combat and martial skills. However, it was also popular among the common people. During the reign of King Gongmin, government positions were awarded to people who excelled at ssireum. This shows that people of the time considered ssireum to be an important tactical skill. People who excelled at ssireum were often pitted against one another. Because of the lack of special military tactics during this time, ssireum was considered an important skill needed by soldiers.

Ssireum took on many different roles during the Joseon period. It was an entertaining pastime, a recreation of the king, a spectacle for the reception of foreign envoys, and a type of folk recreation. While the wrestlers were called warriors in previous periods, they were called yeoksa (strongmen) during the Joseon period. Ssireum has developed into a sport both for boys and adults. The sport is divided into agi (baby) ssireum for children, jung (intermediate) ssireum for young adults, and sang (advanced) ssireum for adults. This is similar to the records found in the Rural Pastimes of Joseon published in 1936 during the Japanese colonial period. Ssireum was equally loved by the yangban and commoners alike, which is one reason why it became so popular. Some characteristics of ssireum are that its spread in popularity has led to many changes and advancements and that ssireum is more popular at certain times than at others. It has become a kind of seasonal custom for Dano (the fifth day of the fifth lunar month), Baekjung, and Chuseok.

Traditional ssireum competitions generally lasted for three days under single-elimination rules. The overall winner was awarded a bull. This award was also a reminder to work hard in farming, as Korea was a predominantly agricultural society.

The Korea Ssireum Association was founded in 1981 in preparation for a pro ssireum league. This was quickly followed by the first Cheonhajangsa Ssireum Competition in 1983, and ssireum went on to become the second pro sport in Korea.

Ssireum is one of the oldest forms of folk recreation in Korea. Winners are decided by a hand-to-hand contest of brute strength between two people. During times when complicated equipment for certain kinds of entertainment was scarce, ssireum was eminently accessible because it required only the use of one's body. It was a type of recreation that anyone could play in a society where children, young adults, and the elderly all lived together. It was also an excellent way to compare one's strength with others while naturally developing one's physical fitness during the farming off-season.

Infokorea 2020
Infokorea is a magazine that introduces Korea to readers overseas, including teachers, textbook developers and other educators. The magazine offers the latest statistics on the Republic of Korea and articles that focus on Korean culture, society and history, which can be used as a reference source for textbook writers and editors and as materials for teachers to prepare for class. The theme of the 2020 issue was overview of Korean Traditional Recreation.