『DBS 리포트』 ｢민요의 고향｣을 통해 본 1970년대 중반 한국민요 전승 실태

Abstract

This study examines the actual status of the transmission of folk songs in South Korea in the mid-1970s through DBS Report "Minyo-ui Gohyang (Hometown of Folk Songs)" produced and broadcast by Dong-A Broadcasting System (DBS). DBS Report "Minyo-ui Gohyang" was a radio documentary series that covered farming and fishing villages to report on folk song transmission. DBS produced and broadcast 15 episodes of DBS Report "Minyo-ui Gohyang" in 1974 and 10 episodes in 1975. Although it did not cover all regions of the country, Gyeongsangnam-do, Gyeongsangbuk-do, Jeollanam-do, Jeollabuk-do, Gangwon-do, and Chungcheongbuk-do were included and the coverage was conducted at the village level. This program was significant in that it raised the public’s awareness of folk songs by covering and reporting in-depth on native folk songs rather than popular folk songs that were often heard through modern media, such as radio, TV, and LP at the time.
 DBS Report "Minyo-ui Gohyang" not only reported what kind of folk songs remained in the farming and fishing villages but also how the villagers were passing down folk songs and what these meant to them. This program covered a total of 18 villages. In 8 villages, folk songs were actively transmitted, while in the rest 10 villages, folk songs were found but not actively transmitted. The main cause of this was the changes in living conditions. In fishing villages, the opportunities to sing fishing labor songs disappeared with the decline of traditional fishing due to the development of fishing technology and changes in fishing grounds. Similarly, in rural areas, the opportunities to sing folk songs decreased due to the mechanization of farming, the use of herbicides, and the industrialization of the region. The spread of popular songs through the radio also diminished the transmission of folk songs. However, it is noteworthy that some villages underwent the same changes while the villagers worked together to preserve their folk songs. For them, folk songs were not only a means of relieving the boredom and exhaustion of labor and increasing the efficiency of work but also a source of vitality for living, art that enriched daily life, and valuable cultural heritage to be passed on to future generations.