'Thank you, BTS': National Gugak Center’s art director hopes to share ‘Arirang’ stage next time

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'Thank you, BTS': National Gugak Center’s art director hopes to share ‘Arirang’ stage next time

Published: 02 Apr. 2026, 16:23 Updated: 02 Apr. 2026, 18:32

JIN EUN-SOO
[email protected]

Audio report: written by reporters, read by AI

Yu Ji-suk, art director of National Gugak Center's folk orchestra, poses for a photo at the National Gugak Center in southern Seoul on March 31. [PARK SANG-MOON]

[INTERVIEW]

Yu Ji-suk, art director of the National Gugak Center's folk orchestra and certified instructor of seodo sori (a genre of Korean folk song that originated from the northwestern provinces), has recently added an unusual entry to her illustrious career: performing "Arirang" in front of Gwanghwamun for K-pop megaband BTS's comeback performance.

"It was quite a tough project, but whether it was big or small, my team and I were able to play a role in performing 'Arirang' to the global audience, and it will be remembered as a happy memory," the 63-year-old director said in a recent interview with the Korea JoongAng Daily.

" Gugak [Korean traditional music] is such a highly specialized and niche music genre, but the fact that it was able to be played at the symbolic Gwanghwamun Square means something."

Yu and her team, comprising four vocalists and eight instrumentalists, performed about a minute of “Arirang” on March 21 before some 22,000 ticket holders gathered to celebrate BTS’s comeback after nearly four years. Geomungo player Lee Jae-ha, a member of the folk orchestra, participated in remixing the "Arirang" music for the performance as well.

Yu and her folk orchestra team from the National Gugak Center perform during BTS's comeback performance at Gwanghwamun Square on March 21. [SCREEN CAPTURE]

Though brief, the act required considerable effort and underwent multiple changes until the last minute.

"We rehearsed walking out of [Gyeongbok Palace] when rehearsing at Kintex [an exhibition hall in Goyang], but when we actually did it, the organizer ought to have thought that it didn't deliver as well as expected. Since it was going to be livestreamed, there needed to be no accident whatsoever, so we changed at the last minute to performing standing still," she said.

Toward the end of “Body to Body,” which opened the Gwanghwamun performance, the melody of "Arirang" overlapped with the song’s predominant hip-hop rhythm before taking over for about 30 seconds, which was the part responsible for by Yu's team. When the part starts, the camera, which had been focused on BTS on a special stage at Gwanghwamun Square, moves back to the woldae [elevated stone walkway] area in front of Gwanghwamun, where Yu and her team were standing by.

BTS performs in front of Gwanghwamun for its comeback performance in central Seoul on March 21. [NETFLIX/BIGHIT MUSIC]

“Now, I vaguely imagine if it might be nice next time to have an 'Arirang' vocalist perform on stage together with BTS,” she said.

“If reviving gugak and Korean tradition is one of their motifs after all, then performing 'Arirang' on stage with a master singer of Korea’s folk songs — even if it’s not me — would be meaningful."

The following interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Yu performs “Dontaryeong” from “Pyeongan Darigut,” which is a type of Korean traditional ballad, with her students in 2017. [PARK SANG-MOON]

Q. You are a master of seodo sori, songs that have roots in Hwanghae and Pyeongan Provinces, known for their sorrowful yet bold sounds. What was it like for you to record "Arirang"?

A. When I first received the demo for the part that I was going to sing, the notes were slightly different compared to the "Arirang" that I knew. It was a bit more rhythmic. It felt unfamiliar, but at the same time quite interesting. They suggested recording it instead of performing it live on site. I thought, “Oh, that would make the job much easier." I sang the first verse and sang together with my team for the second verse. The music director told me that my vocals were more sorrowful compared to others, probably because that's the sentiment of seodo sori. I wanted to record a bit more, but they said they could fine-tune it. When I heard the final version, they had refined it, of course, especially the high pitch. "Arirang" has a very high note, so it's quite hard to make it sound solid and full-bodied. I got the feeling that they made it sound brighter and more upbeat.

The team's wardrobe is not what's usually worn for a Korean traditional music performance. What was the intention?

We're used to wearing hanbok (Korean traditional clothes) and putting on a low bun, but the outfits presented for the Gwanghwamun concert were quite modern. We thought it didn't match, so we asked for a few fixes, such as taking in the waist of the skirt. Our male performers' outfits were mostly shades of blue, while the females' were red. At first, male performers were also considering wearing gat (a Korean traditional hat for males). They explained that the overall concept, together with BTS, who would be wearing all black, was to embody the colors of the Taegukgi (the Korean national flag), and we all conformed to it. There was a funny episode when we went for a fitting session at the HYBE headquarters in Yongsan. After the fitting was done, I was having tea with people from HYBE, and they asked me if I had seen BTS, who were getting fitted next to me! I didn't even notice. I wanted to get a signature from them if I had the chance, but I couldn't until the end.

Yu sings “Ganghwa Gosasori,” which is sung at shamanistic rituals in 2017. [PARK SANG-MOON]

You are an art director and a professor. How did your students react when they realized you were performing with BTS?

We signed a nondisclosure agreement, so I couldn’t say anything about it until the day of the performance. I told my students I had to cancel my Saturday lessons because I would be taking part in a concert. They asked which concert, but I couldn’t answer. On the day, there was so much news about the "historic BTS performance," and they started asking, rather pointedly, "The concert you’re performing at on Saturday isn’t BTS, is it?" I’m not particularly a K-pop fan, but at that moment, I really felt the urge to tell them I was performing with BTS. I was a bit proud.

As you mentioned, BTS’s Gwanghwamun performance was prepared under extreme secrecy. How did you rehearse for it?

A set replicating the Gwanghwamun stage had been built at Kintex, so we rehearsed there earlier that week. On Friday, the very day before the performance, we gathered at the square at 11 p.m., put on in-ear monitors because the music couldn't play out loud and rehearsed. I am aware that BTS was also there rehearsing from midnight. Throughout the rehearsal sessions, I got the impression that the seven boys of BTS were really polite and very humble. Nobody made a fuss or anything. Every time I looked over to them, on the day of the performance, they were just quietly practicing their moves over and over. Then, right before going live, Jungkook came over to us and politely thanked us, which I thought was very considerate of him.

Some say the “Arirang” segment inserted into “Body to Body” feels like an awkward match. As someone who has spent a lifetime preserving Korea’s traditional music, how do you view that pairing?

I actually thought it was an extremely good match. I was quite surprised how the transition could sound so natural. Korea's traditional music has done so many things to get closer to the public, but it has been quite hard. However, for this song, everybody was singing along to "Arirang." People like me preserve tradition, but that doesn't mean everybody else has to do the same. Rather, since there are people like me preserving and maintaining the tradition, the younger generation should try different things. That doesn't mean the tradition is getting damaged. I think incorporating "Arirang" into one of their tracks was a wonderful decision, and I want to say thank you to BTS.

If there are opportunities in the future to collaborate with K-pop, how would you approach it?

Since BTS has consistently contributed to promoting Korea’s traditional culture, I think it would be nice to share the stage with them next time. We already have the outfits. If they are making efforts to let the world know about Korea’s culture and traditions, taking it just a step further could make a significant difference for gugak. Not as a side element, but as a central part of the stage. I believe it will happen next time.