Since the 1980's in the Republic of Korea (South Korea), there has been a noticeable increase of historical studies on Korean music in the modern period (approximately from the end of 19th century to the first half of 20th century). This is partly a reflection of the democratization in the late 1980's and the consequent liberalization of literature on socialism and on Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea). However, another background for such scholarly advancement is the development of
Minjok-umak-ron (“discussion of music for Korean people”), which originated in the criticism of musical/social problems in Korea during 1970's.
Minjok-umak-ron, which takes both classical and popular music into consideration, does not encourage a specific genre; rather it gives, as a kind of artistic/political movement, the theoretical grounds for the musical creation and the musicological research in contemporary Korea. It has two main subjects, both of which are associated with the establishment of
minjok-sagwan (the view of history from the Korean people): one is to overcome the separation of the nation into south and north which has caused the various artistic problems, another is to rediscover and re-appreciate the unknown musicians who were much devoted to the people's music.
By the 1980's, a very few studies by Yi Yu-son, Chang Sa-hun and Yi Sang-man had long been the standard works on modern history of Korean music, while the general history had dealt only with traditional music. Then in the 1980's there appeared some master's theses, a special issue of a music magazine, and a symposium by three experts, all of which were devoted to this field. Moreover, some general histories of Korean music published in this decade came to include a chapter dealing with the reception of Western music.
One of the most representative scholars based on
minjok-umak-ron is Prof. No Tong-un, who has been very active in this field. His subjects of research include a wide variety of topics mostly unknown or politically ignored, such as: the
silhak (“pragmatic thoughts”) scholars who had the first contact with Western music in the late Yi dynasty period, a Korean soldier Yi Un-dol who had the training of Western military music in 1882, the activities of KAPF (Korean Association of Proletarian Federation) in the 1930's and of musicians during the later half of 1940's, and the current situation of music in DPRK. In so doing, he attempts to reinterpret the history of Korean music since the late Yi period from the viewpoint of
minjok-sagwan.
Prof. So U-sok and Mr. Yi Chang-jik, on the other hand, also approach this subject from the viewpoint of social history of music. So U-sok, when arguing the introduction of Western music and its results, concludes that the musico-sociological conditions in the Yi period—separation between music for ritual and entertainment, Confucian conservatism against the popularization of music, encouragement of music education through Confucianism—made it possible to accept Western music culture so rapidly. Yi Chang-jik argues that the introduction of Western music associated with national rites has influenced the educational and political character of musical culture in Korea even today. Although both studies are but general ones, their perspectives will lead the future research.
Another significant movement in recent years is the collection and arrangement of source materials such as newspapers, magazines, SP records and photographs. Arrangement and re-publication of newspapers and magazines are undertaken by Kim Chong-uk at the Institute of the Performing Arts (Tan'guk University) and the Institute of Asian Music (Seoul National University). Pae Yong-hyong and his colleagues reproduced SP records and reprinted their jackets,
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