The foreign residents in Korea gugak band "Sound Trek" will give its first performance at the 2025 Yeongdong World Gugak Expo. Arirang International Broadcasting plans to release a documentary about their story in October.
The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism said on the 15th that it produced a five-part documentary on "Sound Trek" together with Arirang International Broadcasting.
The documentary follows foreign musicians as they learn, perform, and grow with gugak. The aim is to promote the appeal of Korean traditional music to the world.
"Sound Trek" is composed of five musicians from Germany, Russia, Mexico, Mongolia, and Burkina Faso. Taking on a range of instruments including flute and daegeum, accordion, Gyeonggi folk song, morin khuur, djembe, and janggu, they seek harmony between gugak traditions and instruments from various countries.
They were selected through an audition on the 4th. Afterward, they trained for five months under gugak masters. Experts including sori singer Gwon Song-hui, percussion master Jang Jae-hyo, and daegeum player Baek Da-som took part in coaching.
In August, on a stage in Uzbekistan, they presented music that reinterpreted pieces such as "Sarangga," "Bukcheong lion dance," "Gut pungnyu sinawi," and an "Arirang medley" to blend with instruments from around the world.
The first official performance will be held on the 18th at the 2025 Yeongdong World Gugak Expo. Drawing on their overseas performance experience, they plan to showcase new gugak pieces created in collaboration with local folk music.
The documentary covers the audition, training, and the members' lives and musical journeys, and some clips can be seen first on Arirang International Broadcasting's YouTube channel before the broadcast.
A Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism official said, "Sound Trek is a special attempt by foreign musicians to reinterpret Korean traditional music with instruments from around the world," adding, "We hope the sound of Korea, resonating beyond borders and cultural differences, will reach audiences around the globe."