Yangban or noblemen in the Joseon period had great power. In a Joseon-era literary work entitled “Yangbanjeon양반전” or “The Story of Yangban,” when a wealthy man wanted to become a yangban, he is told of several attributes of yangban, which included the following.

Who would dare defy me even when I farm the land with my neighbor’s ox and weed the fields by stealing his workers.

Nobody would dare hold a grudge against me even when I pour lye down your nostrils, shake your head by your topknot, or pluck all your beard. 

Upon hearing these deplorable characteristics, the wealthy man realized that being a yangban was almost like being a bandit and never again said that he wanted to be a yangban. Being a fiction, it must have been vastly exaggerated, but we can pretty much guess what ordinary people thought of yangban back in those days. Nonetheless, there was an occasion, about once a year, when ordinary people could make fun of such reprehensible noblemen without fearing retribution. That occasion was the mask dance on the first full moon of the year. In the mask dance, these is always a scene in which a smart manservant tricks and torments stupid noblemen. On this holiday, however, rather than become angry over such satirical performances, yangban enjoyed the dance themselves and even gave money to the performers, because they knew that an entire year would go by peacefully if they permitted ordinary folks to mock them for a single day. Let’s listen to Gukjeondan국전단 singing “Yangban These Days,” a song about manservant Maldduk말뚝 making fun of yangban. 

Yangban These Days/ Sung by Gukjeondan

MC: Talchum탈춤, the blanket term for Korean mask dances, was inscribed as a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity just two weeks ago on November 30. Starting with the royal ancestral ritual in the Jongmyo shrine and Jongmyo ceremonial music in 2001 and up until the mask dance this year, twenty-two intangible cultural assets of Korea have been inscribed with UNESCO. Some widely known mask dances include Bongsan봉산 and Eunyul은율 talchum passed down in the Hwanghae-do황해도 region, the lion dance from the Bukcheong북청 area in Hamgyeong-do함경도 Province, the mask dance performed by government-employed manservants in Gangwon-do Province, and Songpa Sandaenori산대놀이, which was usually performed in marketplaces or ferry in the Gyeonggi area. Then there is Hahoe Byeolsingut Talnori하회별신굿탈놀이 of Andong, a dance production designated as Korea’s national intangible cultural asset. Interestingly, the hahoe masks used in the performance are also designated as a national treasure. These hahoe masks gained international fame when they were featured in Netflix series “Money Heist: Korea – Joint Economic Area.” Here is crossover band Black String playing “Mask Dance.”

Mask Dance/ Performed by Black String

MC: Each region’s mask dance features different characters and masks, but they are also many commonalities. It is odd to see the lion, an animal not indigenous to Korea, appears in almost all mask dances. Ancient Koreans believed that lions chase away evil spirits. Also, as described earlier, many mask dances are about servants making fun of yangbans. One mask dance is about a husband and a wife who are reunited after a long separation, but the husband already had a mistress, and the wife dies of frustration. Instead of mourning the death of his long-suffering wife, the husband lives happily ever after with his mistress. It wasn’t easy for such appalling stories to be played out in the open, but it was common for mask dance to combine wit and satire into the stories to make them presentable to the public. Even the yangban masters provided financial support to mask dance troupes so that commoners can release pent-up frustration and have fun. Last piece for today is entitled “Miyal,” the name of an old woman appearing in Bongsan mask dance. Samulnori musician Kim Deok-su performs “Miyal.” 

Miyal/ Performed by Kim Deok-su et al.