Pungmul as Protest

Korean pungmul players at the first full moon of the new lunar year, when jishinbalbki happens.

Pungmul (Hangul: 풍물; Hanja: 風物; also spelled "poongmul") is a Korean folk musical art that has a long history of being used for tradition, community formation, ritual, and expression. Its roots are deeply tied to Korean pre-industrial farming culture. Although pungmul was used in earlier protests, it became widely acknowledged as a method of protest during South Korea's pro-democracy movement in the 1970s.[1] Through the minjung movement that spurred the struggle for democratization and labor rights, pungmul's regular presence at protests signifies a "sonic marker of dissent" and continues to be an active part of contemporary protest culture in South Korea and beyond.[1]

  1. ^ a b Lee (2012). "The Drumming of Dissent during South Korea's Democratization Movement". Ethnomusicology. 56 (2): 179–205. doi:10.5406/ethnomusicology.56.2.0179. ISSN 0014-1836.