National Namdo Gugak Center Releases Modern Reinterpretation Album of Jindo 'Ssikkimgut' Funeral Rite
Creatrip Team
2 months ago
The National Namdo Gugak Center released a concept album titled "A Song for Me: Ssikkim" on music platforms, reimagining the Jindo-region funeral rite called ssikkimgut (a traditional southern Korean ritual to wash away the deceased’s grudges and help them reach the afterlife). Recognized as Important Intangible Cultural Heritage, ssikkimgut has often felt distant to general audiences because it is a gut (shamanic ritual). The Gugak Center reframed the rite as communal healing for the bereaved and the living, commissioning five composers from pop, film, and jazz backgrounds to modernize the ritual’s symbolic and archaic lyrics into contemporary language and memorable choruses. The nine tracks follow the Jindo ssikkimgut sequence so listeners can sense the ritual’s flow. To mark the release, the center will run online events inviting listener feedback from Jan 20 to Feb 19. Director Park Jeong-gyeong said the album aims to comfort people today and convey the ritual’s messages of resolving grievances (haewon) and offering prayers (giwon).
