“A Tiger’s Coming Down”: Gugak in the Metaverse

In 2021, the South Korean government launched its Digital New Deal with the aim of transforming society through science and technology and, later that year, announced the creation of the National Metaverse Alliance, charged with building a unified national virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) platform. As 5G technology becomes the norm in South Korea, we may soon find the proscenium stage replaced by immersive digital experiences that transcend time and space in the “metaverse.” This article describes some of the points at which gugak is currently intersecting with emerging technologies and contemplates the future effects of these encounters on the country’s intangible heritage and traditional music aesthetics.