Arirang is a representative folk song in Korea. Even though nobody knows exactly who, when, and where it started, it has become a representative song of Korea.
Arirang contains various emotions such as joy, anger, sorrow and pleasure that can be felt in the ordinary life. During the painful and harsh period of Japanese colonization (1910-1945), Arirang used to be sung by the independence army as their military song. Arirang consists of the common refrain called ‘Arirang arirang arariyo’ and narration that can be easily modified. The song can be changed in various ways because of its simple musical and literary composition. There are approximately 60 types, 3600 folk songs succeeded with the name of ‘Arirang.’
Each region in Korea has their own Arirang handed down. For example, there are ‘Seoul Arirang’ in the region of Seoul and Gyeonggi that is sung the most by Koreans, ‘Jeongseon Arirang’ in Gangwon-do Province, ‘Jindo Arirang’ in Jeolla-do Province, ‘Miryang Arirang’ in Gyeongsang-do Province, and so on. In each region, some organizations and heirs make a lot of efforts to make Arirang familiar with the public and pass it on to the next generation. Arirang is also famous abroad because 7.5 million Koreans living all over the world sing Arirang, representing their identity.
Arirang is a song made by Koreans over generations in the history of Korea. Besides, it is a song sung by all Koreans around the world. Arirang, containing the Korean identity and making Koreans unite regardless of generations and regions, is a Korean heritage that leads to communication and harmony.