Ganggangsuwollae is a folk play with singing and it is a kind of
martial dance. The women of a village dance together in a line
or a circle, as it is in a hide-and-seek. It is a traditional
folk dance with singing peformed exclusively by women mostly at
night without any accompaniment of musical instruments used for
farming folk music. It has its origin in a tale in which the
Admiral Lee Soonshin used this dance as part of his camouflage
strategy during the Japanese invasion in 1592. He had the
fortification of earth build on Mt. Monggum in Jindo and have
the village women dressed in male attire dance holding hands
each other in a circle singing Ganggangsuwollae song on the
mountain top to divert the attention of the Japanese army away
from the genuine troops. - Namdo Deul Norae (Field Working Song)
The Jinde Deul Norae Song became renowned nationwide when it was
awarded to the Prime Minister Prize in the 12th Korean Folk Art
Competition in 1971. Its beautiful melody and lyrics led it to
be designated as an I