ABSTRACT

In South Korea, a relationship has long existed between musicology and policy. This is particularly the case with Korean traditional music, where state preservation and promotion policies rely heavily on the evaluations and documentation of academics. But, when SamulNori burst onto the stage of the Space Theatre in 1978, it marked a departure from the percussion bands and troupes of old that in both local and itinerant flavours had already been appointed as Important Intangible Cultural Properties. How would it be received?