Pansori is a traditional Korean sung storytelling art form, the core repertoire of which has since the late 19th century focused on five pieces Chunhyangga, Heungboga, Simcheongga, Sugungga and Jeokbyeokga. These five pieces are traditionally linked to the oryun, the five fundamental relationships in Confucian thought, and are based on widely known folk tales, with the exception of Jeokbyeokga which is based on the classical Chinese novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms (三國演義Sanguo yanyi). As well-known stories, they have been reinterpreted in a variety of different media, not just as pansori but in plays, novels, and films etc. However, in particular due to the lasting effects of the preservation strategies by the Korean government that prioritized the “original form”, there has been some hesitancy to cross certain lines in re-examining the core repertoire within the traditional Korean music scene.

This presentation will explore three pieces that did present radically different interpretations of the classic stories: Different Chunhyang (2014, dir. Andrei Serban); The Divorce Case of Heungbo’s Wife (2023, dir. Choi Yongseok); and Shim Cheong (2025, dir. Yona Kim). Exploring the content of each performance as well as audience responses, this paper aims to shed light on how contemporary Korean audience’s attitudes towards these “classics” have changed, as well as thinking more fundamentally on the role of these “classics” in the contemporary Korean traditional music scene.