A Study on Succession and the Reality of Intangible Cultural Heritage in the Field of Dance in North Korea

The purpose of this study is to grasp the current status of intangible cultural heritage in thefield of dance in North Korea, and to examine the actual status of dance designated as folk andintangible cultural properties that are considered important in North Korean national culture.The research method was inferred based on the literature review, the testimonies of Korean-Japanese dancers, and the researcher s experience of North Korean dance.North Korea s dance cultural heritage is divided into classical cultural heritage, revolutionarycultural heritage, and socialist dance reconstructed after 1946. Among these, classical danceheritage was designated as the target of intangible cultural heritage. North Korea has adheredto its principles to inherit intangible heritage. It must be critically inherited by popular andprogressive folk dances, the analysis and evaluation of folk dance should be conducted in asubjective perspective in accordance with the domestic situation and the national emotion, inaddition, there may be limited personalities due to the socio-historical conditions of the period,creator s worldview, aesthetic view and artistic hobbies.Intangible heritage of dance in North Korea has been designated 11 works including sworddance, Nongak dance, eight monks dance, Buk cheong lion-mask dance, Gangryeong maskdance, Bongsan mask dance, drum dance, four monks dance, Haeju mask dance and Eunyuldance. All of them have a long history. Like South Korea, there is no tradition preservationsociety, Nongak , dondolari , sword dance, and eight monks dance are variously performed inthe central and local art troupes and dance groups, while the rest is only a documentary record.In North Korea, tradition is handed down to the socialist system based on party, workingclass, and people, not the original. This is different from South Korea. In other words, unlikethe cultural traditions of South Korea, which is based on the “main archetype,” it has been intentionally transforming traditional culture in accordance with the times by selecting classicalcultural heritage according to policy intent and purpose.