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By Kwon Mee-yoo
The vocalization of a cryptic phrase "Myeonggeumilha Daechwita" starts off "Daechwita," a song released by Suga of BTS, known as Agust D for this release, in May. The expression, which means, "Ring a gong once to begin Daechitwa," is used to commence "Daechwita" ― a Korean style of traditional military band music.
Though now better known across the globe as the title of the K-pop sensation's solo release, which marked over 117 million views on YouTube in just over two months, the history of the original Daechwita goes back to the ancient Three Kingdoms era in the fourth century, before Korea was even Korea.
The voice shouting "Myeonggeumilha daechwita" in the opening of Agust D's song belongs to Chung Jae-kuk, the only practitioner of Intangible Cultural Property No. 46, Piri Jeongak and Daechwita.
Chung, who worked as the artistic director of the National Gugak Center Orchestra, recorded the 1984 version of Daechwita sampled in Agust D's namesake song.
According to Suga's agency, the K-pop singer listened to a variety of recorded versions of Daechwita and picked the 1984 one for its solemnness.
The song's music video was filmed in a Joseon-era palace and street set, matching the music of hip-hop with the sound of Korean traditional instruments such as the kkwaenggwari (small flat gong) and taepyeongso (double reed instrument).
After the song garnered international attention thanks to BTS' established fame, it also spiked interest in Korean traditional music and culture featured in it.
"I performed Daechwita hundreds of times, but Suga's Daechwita is more famous now. Though I haven't met Suga personally, I am grateful that he provided wide publicity for Daechwita internationally," Chung said in an interview with The Korea Times. "Though Suga's song is not the same as the original Daechwita, it was a great opportunity for Korean traditional music to become known more widely."
Chung, who has been playing the piri (reed flute) for over six decades, said Daechwita is the music played for military marches.
"We speculate that Daechwita existed as early as the Three Kingdoms era as a military band is featured in ancient tomb murals of the Goguryeo Kingdom (37 BC―668 AD). The military music appears in historical documents during the Goryeo Kingdom (918-1392). In the Joseon Kingdom, Jangakwon, a government office in charge of music, supervised military marching music such as Daechwita," Chung explained.
"Each military troupe had its own Chwitadae, or marching band, and they played Daechwita and Sochwita, a downscaled version of the march, on a variety of occasions from royal processions to the opening and closing of the four main gates of Seoul."
According to Chung, the legacy of Daechwita was lost when Joseon was annexed by Japan in 1910.
"It had disappeared for about half a century. Daechwita was finally revived in 1961 for the Armed Forces Day ceremony. I was a student at the Gugak National High School then and participated in the band, becoming aware of the charms of Daechwita," Chung said.
"It was designated as Intangible Cultural Heritage in 1971 and my teacher Choi In-seo was named the practitioner. After he passed away, I was named as the tradition practitioner in 1993."
Chung has three assistants to pass down the tradition and over 100 bearers of the skills.
"There have been steady efforts to continue the tradition of Daechwita in the field of Korean traditional music. Suga's Daechwita expanded the reach of Korean tradition to a wider audience and I am glad for the opportunity he opened up," Chung said.
While Agust D's "Daechwita" is an example of K-pop incorporating elements of Korean traditional music, Korean traditional musicians are also making their way into the popular music scene.
Alternative pop band Leenalchi's album "Sugungga" is a modern interpretation of one of Korea's traditional pansori plays and was very popular. Pansori singer Ko Yeong-yeol competed in the JTBC music survival show "Phantom Singer 3," broadening the spectrum of crossover music to embrace Korean traditional music.
Won Il, a traditional musician and composer who currently serves as artistic director of the Gyeonggi Sinawi Orchestra, said the current blurring of boundaries between K-pop and Korean traditional music showcases a heightened esteem for Korean tradition by the younger generation.
"It is more than just retro hype, but Korea's cultural stature has surely grown globally. Agust D's Daechwita and Blackpink wearing hanbok are at the forefront. I think Korea's younger generation has the power to let the world know about tradition through music, story, drama and fashion," Won said.
He attributed such success to hybridity.
"There are some great elements from Korea's traditions, but Koreans also have a knack for combining miscellaneous ingredients into a new culture with extreme creativity," Won said. "And the use of digital media such as YouTube disseminates trends so fast; and the medium is optimized for rapid distribution of culture, which suits the Korea temperament."
However, Won expressed some worries that such a trend might be superficial, failing to reach into the deep, spiritual culture of Korea.
"Agust D's Daechwita mixes samples of the namesake Korean traditional music, but it did not dig into the musical structure of the original genre. It gives a glimpse into the sound of Korean traditional instruments, but cannot provide a thorough understanding of our traditional music," he said.
Despite the concerns, Won sees a ray of hope in younger musicians, who have no qualms about breaking the boundaries between Korean traditional music and pop.
"Singing pansori to a modern drum beat or simple loops of a guitar groove is a way of modernizing Korean traditional music, which can be observed in the music of SsingSsing, Leenalchi or Lim Kim. They have found ways to popularize tradition," he said. "Previously, conservative musicians stuck to tradition strictly and saw new changes as harmful to the old ways, but the times have changed. Musicians who have experience in both Western and Korean music found ways to make tradition more accessible. I am truly enjoying the boost in the status of Korean culture."
