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Music of North Korea
Chinese guqin and Beijing opera, Japanese gagaku, shakuhachi and min'yō, Korean pansori and samul nori, Taiwanese gezaixi opera, nanguan chamber music and Bunun pasibutbut, Mongolian khöömei throat singing and morin khuur.
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Roots and traditions
Folk music
Alongside contemporary pop songs, groups like Pochonbo Electronic Ensemble have recorded arrangements of Korean folk songs. The Korean folk song "Arirang" continues to be widely popular in North Korea, with UNESCO inscribing the song to the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2014, representing North Korea. Like Korean music in general, North Korean music includes kinds of both folk and classical, courtly music, including genres like sanjo, pansori, and nongak. Pansori is long vocal and percussive music played by one singer and one drummer. The lyrics tell one of five different stories, but is individualized by each performer, often with updated jokes and audience participation. Nongak is a rural form of percussion music, typically played by twenty to thirty performers. Sanjo is entirely instrumental that shifts rhythms and melodic modes during the song. Instruments include the changgo drum set against a melodic instrument, such as the gayageum or ajaeng.
Popular music
Pop music
Under Kim Il Sung's era, only ideologically correct music was allowed. Jazz in particular was considered out of bounds. Many artists however found their way around these limitations by writing ideologically correct lyrics while taking liberties with the score. Under Kim Jong Il, previously forbidden genres, even jazz, became permissible and encouraged. Many North Korean pop songs are usually performed by young female singers with an electric ensemble, percussionist, and accompanying singers and dancers. However, there are also male singers or a chorus in community or company pop bands. Some North Korean pop songs such as "Whistle"—set to the lyrics of North Korean poet Cho Ki-chon—have become popular in South Korea.
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Radio from North Korea
Music only, no news or talk. Stations that play the local tradition come first, then the most listened. They play in the corner of the page.
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