Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Whanki and multimedia artist Nam June Paik, who turned heads with his thought-provok-
ing video installations.
Korean pottery is sometimes decorated with bold brushstrokes, as seen on these traditional kimchi
pots.
Korean music is deeply rooted in shamanist and agricultural traditions and still echoes with
the sounds of ritual drumming and the cries that urged farmers to work in the fields. Local
instruments include the
gayageum
(zither),
daegum
(large flute), and
buk
(barrel drum).
Its extremes can be witnessed in
nongak,
an onslaught of relentless joyous percussion that
marked rural celebrations, and
pansori,
a stark form of opera featuring a drummer and
single singer who will stretch a narrative out for hours in a voice that runs the gamut from
sorrowful crooning to eerie croaks and celebratory yelps.
Younger Koreans, of course, are more partial to contemporary pop, which in its current
incarnation is roughly split between heartrending ballads and more upbeat dance, hip-hop
or electro numbers. Korean boy and girl bands are immensely popular throughout Asia, and,
increasingly, worldwide, but there's little to distinguish them from those found just about
anywhere else.
