Japga
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- Folksongs were called sori ("sound") or norae ("song") in the traditional society, and are called minyo today. The term sori, derived from human voice, means it is an ordinary vocal performance performed in the daily life. The term norae is derived from a word nori meaning "playing," and implies that it is performed whenever people play.
- Korean folksongs are classified into local folksongs and popular folksongs. The local folksongs are spread in a certain local area. They created and enjoyed in the specific local area and have a rather simple melody with artless and local lyrics. Most work songs are included in this genre. The popular folksongs are performed by professional singers. They are more artistic with much more embellishments than local folksongs and are performed throughout the Korean peninsula.
- In Seoul, another type of japga, called hwimori japga, was popular. The term hwimori means to sing in a fast tempo. This kind of songs has humorous lyrics sung with a very fast tempo.
- The japga of the southwestern region is called ipchang ("standing song") because the singer performs in a standing manner. It has a loud and dramatic vocal quality like that of the pansori.
- The seon sori, meaning a song in a standing manner, is performed by several members; one of the group leads the song with the self-accompaniment of the janggo (hourglass-shaped drum) and the rest sing the refrain while dancing with the sogo (small hand drum). There are two kinds of seon sori the central regional type and the northwestern regional type.
