National Folk Museum explores how close folklore is to our lives

Though not entirely traditional, K-pop sensation BTS showed off Korea's folk dance known as Bukcheong Lion Play, in the music video for its track "IDOL" (2018). The traditional choreography requires dancers to wear lion masks on the night of the..

A black-and-white photograph of traditional Bukcheong Lion Play from about 90 years ago, taken by Korea’s first archivist and folklorist Song Seok-ha (1904-1948) during the Japanese occupation of Korea (1910-45). [NATIONAL FOLK MUSEUM OF KOREA]

Bukcheong Lion Play dance is featured in BTS's music video "IDOL" (2018). [SCREEN CAPTURE]

Though not entirely traditional, K-pop sensation BTS showed off Korea’s folk dance known as Bukcheong Lion Play, in the music video for its track “IDOL” (2018). The traditional choreography requires dancers to wear lion masks on the night of the full moon on January 15 of the lunar calendar.

During the Melon Music Awards on Dec. 1, 2018, the members took a step further and staged an array of traditional Korean dances for a live audience, which included another folk dance known as Bongsan Mask Dance.

Thanks to the young K-pop artists’ enthusiasm for traditional folk dances, a young generation of K-pop fans from both at home and abroad are beginning to show interest in Korean folklore.

The National Folk Museum of Korea in central Seoul kicked off a special exhibit "Folklore is our lives" on April 27, displaying an array of Korea's folklore items. The exhibit runs until July 5. [NATIONAL FOLK MUSEUM OF KOREA]

The National Folk Museum of Korea in central Seoul kicked off a special exhibit "Folklore is our lives" on April 27, displaying an array of Korea's folklore items. The exhibit runs until July 5. [NATIONAL FOLK MUSEUM OF KOREA]

The National Folk Museum of Korea said it has been seeing an increase in the number of younger visitors to its museum in central Seoul since BTS’s Melon Music Awards performance, which led the curators of the museum to think about how close folklore really is to our lives and that “people are just not aware of it.”

The museum decided to organize an exhibit titled, “Folklore is our lives,” which kicked off at the museum’s Special Exhibition Hall on April 27.

The exhibit starts off with a question, “Is this also folklore?”

“These days, people like to collect old things from the 1970s and 80s calling them ‘retro.’ This fad offers nostalgia to those who have experienced the period and novelty to those who haven’t. This is also folklore and the museum, which is an archive of memory, attempts to showcase an array of old items such as portable cassette players, an old computer, a film camera and so on,” said Kim Hyong-joo, the curator of the exhibit. “We hope to explore the significance and value of folklore by presenting various forms of our lives in the traditional past, in the present and the future.”

The exhibit also showcases a photograph of the traditional Bukcheong Lion Play and Bongsan Mask Dance from 90 years ago. The photographs are a part of 486 photographs from “Folklore Fieldwork” taken and collected by Korea’s first archivist and folklorist Song Seok-ha (1904-1948) during the Japanese occupation of Korea (1910-45).

Different issues of Korea’s academic journal called “Joseonminsok,” which was published from 1932 to 1940 as a means to collect Korea’s folklore data, are also on display. One issue states that a society was organized to publish this journal upon fear that “Korea’s traditional way of life is disappearing and to emphasize the importance of collecting folklore data.”

Gat, the representative hat of the Joseon era (1392-1910) in different colors. [NATIONAL FOLK MUSEUM OF KOREA]

Netflix series "Kingdom" (2019-) featuring gat [NETFLIX KOREA]

There are several folklore items that foreigners will also be familiar with at the exhibit. Gat, the representative hat of the Joseon era (1392-1910) has been drawing huge attention since Netflix’s “Kingdom” (2019-) series. The broad-brimmed hats that are worn by almost all the men that appear in the series were real scene stealers. The exhibit showcases gat in many different shapes and colors.

A dalgona (melted sugar candy) kit used in the 20th century [NATIONAL FOLK MUSEUM OF KOREA]

Netflix series "Squid Game" (2021) featuring dalgona [NETFLIX KOREA]

Fans of another of Netflix’s hit shows, “Squid Game” (2021), will be amused by the traditional dalgona (melted sugar candy) kit. The one on display was widely used in the 20th century and is a lot bulkier than the ones that are sold today.

Different types of homi, or traditional Korean hoe. [NATIONAL FOLK MUSEUM OF KOREA]

Avid gardeners will be familiar with homi. The traditional Korean hoes are selling like hotcakes on online shopping platform Amazon. Because they are still widely used today, some find it difficult to see them as folklore items. The museum said it hopes to break that prejudice through the exhibit. “Our lives are folklore,” said Kim. “Folk beliefs, entertainment, rituals and other traditions are still the main subjects of folklore studies. We hope that visitors get to see that folklore is not only about the past but also about our lives as they go on in the present through this exhibition.”

The exhibit runs until July 5.

BY YIM SEUNG-HYE [yim.seunghye@joongang.co.kr]