The National Gugak Center, a premier national institution, has been dedicated to overseeing and preserving the country’s national music. The center’s role includes the preservation and research of Korean traditional music and the development of future talents. It also boasts a vast collection of traditional Korean music, with old records playing a pivotal role as essential references. Older records, such as musical books, scores, Uigwe (royal protocols), Holgi (records of the order of events), etc., offer insights into past music and event protocols. However, phonograph records from about 100 years ago, created with the advent of music recording, offer unique and significant opportunities for the study and preservation of Korean music.

The National Gugak Center houses approximately 260 pieces of phonograph records, which have been rarely used in research activities or exhibitions. Given their rarity and the complexity of playing them, these phonographs have drawn little attention, until now. This exhibition revives these dormant phonograph records from museum storage, inviting visitors to experience their sounds.

Gramophones, introduced shortly after 1900 and reaching their zenith with the advent of electrical recording in the 1920s, revolutioned the sound industry. Electrical recording, introduced by a Japanese record company in 1927, spurred a boom in the record industry. In the 1930s, known as the golden age of gramophone, saw millions of records flood the market, including hit albums selling over 10,000 copies and traditional Korean music, such as Gyeongsang-do provincial folk music, pansori of Lee Hwa-Jung-Seon and Lim Bang-ul, and new folk music. The National Gugak Center this exhibition that features about 30 phonograph records from the 1920s and 1930s, including lesser-known and popular records by musical masters and singers of the era.