By Diplomacy Journal Lee Kap-soo

The second World Pansori Festival was held on a stage in Namsangol Hanok Village in Seoul from Nov. 1-3, 2024. People from many countries gathered to see 129 singers decorate the stage through 43 various programs at the festival, the Korea.net reported.

The inaugural section Global Pansori, which features foreign singers of the genre, proved to be a huge draw with its opening performance. The Ojakgyo Bridge Project, a team of pansori enthusiasts from the U.S., U.K., Malaysia, China and Japan, sang the short song "Life of 100 Years" and the tune "Ssukdaemeori" from the epic pansori song "Chunhyangga" and "Jindo Arirang," eliciting heated cheers and applause from the audience.

Their vocal performances were as deep and strong as those by Korean singers. Each lyric contained distinctive tones and emotions to create a new appeal of the genre.

According to the Korea.net, Tham Shung Min, a Malaysian member of Ojakgyo, said he began learning pansori because of his interest in traditional Korean culture. "Producing a trembling sound was the hardest part," he said. "But never once did I want to give up." Before his performance, he said, "I'm not nervous at all but rather excited."

Pansori fully conveys the singer's feelings even if the audience is not fluent in Korean, and Tham's confidence might have stemmed from how the genre appeals to people worldwide.

Miki Matsukawa from Japan, who said she values chemistry with the audience, said, "We ask the audience to actively add chuimse (words of encouragement and delight) when watching pansori performances."

"A performance that you just happen to see can open a new door. If even just one person thinks that he or she wants to learn pansori after watching today's performance, I'd find that incredibly rewarding."

Betty Kim from the U.S., a pansori singer whose background is in Western classical music, said, "Whereas classical music values refined sounds, pansori conveys natural emotions through various raw sounds."

"Pansori might not be familiar to foreigners, but it has the power to bring the performers, singers and audience closer together."

Another highlight was the one-act performance "Global Nolbo Gourd" by foreign pansori singers. Singers from the U.K., Germany, France, Cameroon and Iran sang the pansori song "Heungboga" with elements of the traditional performing arts of their countries. Their reinterpretation of the classic added freshness and fun and elicited a big response from the audience.

A fusion performing arts show added a contemporary touch to pansori through forms like dance, theater and electronic music.

Kai Hess, a designer from Silicon Valley in the U.S., said he loved "seeing an artist bearing their souls and singing with passion," adding, "I could hear and feel evidence of a whole story being told, even though I do not know the language."

Belgian tourist Laura Libert said she was impressed by the strong voices of the singers and that if possible, she wants to learn pansori.