This study seeks to examine the process by which
han was established as a core emotion in
salpurichum (
salpuri dance), and uncover the background and triggers leading to its formation. From the early 20th century to the early 1960s,
salpurichum was known
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This study seeks to examine the process by which
han was established as a core emotion in
salpurichum (
salpuri dance), and uncover the background and triggers leading to its formation. From the early 20th century to the early 1960s,
salpurichum was known as the “impromptu”, “
heoteun”, and “handkerchief” dance, and it included an aspect of playfulness. However, since the mid-1960s, it has been increasingly interpreted as an expression of women’s sorrow, reflecting the view that the tradition encapsulates women’s suffering. In the 1980s, in the wake of the shamanic origin hypothesis proposed by Byeong-ho Jeong, the historical value of
salpurichum was legitimized. It was performed at protests and was used as a shamanistic dance in accordance with this hypothesis. Accordingly, it began to be interpreted as a women’s and national
han. Concurrently, the authoritarian government promoted shamanism as part of Korea’s indigenous identity during the 1988 Seoul Olympics, with
salpurichum emerging as a representative traditional dance imbued with
han. Therefore, the incorporation of
han into
salpurichum can be seen as a result of the nationalist political agendas advanced by two opposing groups. After
salpurichum was designated as a national intangible heritage in 1990,
han was academically completed and
salpurichum became institutionalized.
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