K-pop may hold the global spotlight, but traditional Korean music is slowly finding its audience. Sometimes, with a bit of help from K-pop idols.
In the opening scene of their 2022 music video, Pink Venom, girl group Blackpink’s Kim Jisoo is seen playing the geomungo, a traditional Korean zither. Just two years before that, BTS boy band member Suga released a solo track, Daechwita, which integrates traditional beats used in military and royal parades. Even earlier, the group Dreamcatcher paid homage to their Korean heritage with a song called Piri, a traditional Korean flute.
Many other Korean musicians are dedicated to preserving and adapting traditional music to give it wider recognition. Among them is the Geo- Koo-Ro Project—also known as the Go Back Project—led by composer and pianist Chae Ji-hye. Founded in 2017, Geo-Koo-Ro has grown as a musical group, passionately merging Korea’s traditional sounds with contemporary sensibilities.
The group performed traditional-modern fusion music at the musical and shadow art performance held in Jakarta on 31 October 2024. Titled “We Are One,” the event was organised by the Mission of the Republic of Korea (ROK) to ASEAN to celebrate 35 years of ASEAN-ROK ties.
In an interview with The ASEAN, Chae shared her reflections on adapting traditional music for a modern audience. She explained the group’s philosophy: “searching for solutions today based on old traditional music.”
“We aim to create something approachable yet respectful of our heritage. Even in Korea, many are unfamiliar with traditional instruments. By blending these with popular elements, we hope to reach a wider audience and invite them into our musical heritage.
“Koreans might recognise songs like Ongheya (a Korean folk song to uplift workers at harvest time) through textbooks, but they’re not part of daily life. Koreans’ audience reaction is similar to here. Some really enjoy it, get into it, and sing along. Once they hear it, they love it,” said Chae.
In his speech, Ambassador Lee Jang-keun of the ROK Mission said, “We prepared this occasion to bring together the people of Korea and ASEAN, connecting us through this medium of art and music. We hope that our people can feel the unity and harmony through tonight’s performance.”
Ambassador Phantipha Iamsudha Ekarohi, Thailand’s Permanent Representative to ASEAN and Country Coordinator for ASEAN-ROK Dialogue Relations, echoed the sentiment. “We believe that art and culture are important vehicles to help nurture and promote the friendship and the goodwill between the peoples of ASEAN and the ROK.”
The Geo-Koo-Ro Project delighted the audience by reinterpreting beloved folk songs from each ASEAN nation, including Indonesia’s Sipatokaan, Myanmar’s Hmone Shwe Yee, and the Philippines’ Lupang Tinubuan.
Chae notes that incorporating ASEAN songs into their repertoire required careful attention.
“Korean instruments have evolved, offering more notes to use, so playing the melodies was not hard. But for folk songs, there are aspects beyond the melodies, like a certain twist in the voice or additional accenting, which we tried to incorporate. That was more challenging than playing the songs themselves,” she said.
Complementing Geo-Koo-Ro’s music is the shadow performance by Magic Play, South Korea’s only shadow art group. Founded by theatre professionals and led by Kim Yu-hee, Magic Play combines light, shadow, and movement to craft narratives. Drawing inspiration from Indonesia’s Wayang Kulit [leather shadow puppet] and Korea’s Manseokjungnori [puppet play], Magic Play performers used their bodies’ silhouettes to tell stories about the culture and history of each ASEAN country and South Korea.
“We studied each ASEAN country’s icons, symbols, and myths, integrating these into our shadow work. The response has been incredible. The cheers from different areas of the audience made us feel warmly welcomed. We made wonderful memories here and genuinely want to return,” Kim shared with The ASEAN.
While K-pop enjoys global popularity, Kim believes shadow art offers a new, meaningful way to introduce Korean culture. “Before we came and performed here, we had only heard about K-pop’s popularity, but now we really feel it and are surprised by how intensive it is.”
Seeing the enthusiasm, Kim feels encouraged by the possibility of collaborating with ASEAN artists. “Many ASEAN artists have similar art forms, like shadow arts and dance. Maybe we could collaborate between ASEAN art forms and Korean art forms and have a performance together.”
Meanwhile, Chae reflects on music’s power to bridge divides. “Music transcends all nationalities and borders. It was very meaningful that we used music to bring ASEAN and Korea closer together. People can feel the same emotions, even if they do not speak the same language or share the same cultures or countries,” she concludes.
Editor-in-Chief, Mary Kathleen Quiano-Castro and Associate Editor, Joanne B. Agbisit, contributed to this article.
