Gochang Pansori Museum

Site details

Pansori (designated as National Intangible Cultural Heritage and UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage) is a traditional Korean genre of musical storytelling performed by a vocalist and a drummer. "Pan" refers to "a place where people gather" or "an occasion," while "sori" means "sound" in all its natural manifestations expressed through human voice. The Gochang Pansori Museum in Gochang-gun was established to preserve and promote the tradition of Pansori, providing visitors with opportunities to appreciate this unique art form. The museum systematically showcases the history, characteristics, and artistic world of Pansori through photographs, models, videos, and sound recordings. Exhibits include items related to the lives of renowned Pansori figures like Shin Jae-hyo, as well as displays highlighting famous Pansori singers from Gochang, such as Jin Chae-seon and Kim So-hee. Behind the museum, visitors can find the Gochang Shin Jae-hyo House, which was the residence of Shin Jae-hyo, a significant figure in the history of Pansori, known for his contributions to the development and criticism of Pansori. Shin, who lived in this house until the end of his life, trained master singers and compiled and adapted the scripts of six pansori (Korean traditional musical storytelling) stories: Chunhyangga, Simcheongga, Bak Taryeong, Garujigi Taryeong, Ttokki Taryeong, and Jeokbyeokga.