Gochang-gun Confirms Name of Pansori Cultural Space as 'Sin Jae-hyo Pansori Park'

Published 09 Mar.2023 09:49(KST)

Gochang-gun, Jeonbuk, has finalized the name of the Pansori Cultural Space next to Gochang Eupseong as ‘Sin Jae-hyo Pansori Park’.

According to the county on the 9th, after a consultation meeting last month with three experts (Jung Byung-heon, Professor Emeritus at Sookmyung Women’s University; Lee Hoon-sang, Professor Emeritus at Dong-A University; and Lee Chan-gyu, Professor at Chung-Ang University), the name of the Pansori Cultural Space was confirmed as Sin Jae-hyo Pansori Park.

Scenery of Sinjaehyo Pansori Park [Photo by Gochang-gun]

During the discussion, the name ‘Dongrijeongsa,’ which had been used previously, was noted by experts as originally used to record the posthumous biography of Sin Jae-hyo and was deemed inappropriate to represent the entire space.

Sin Jae-hyo Pansori Park is a collective name for facilities related to Pansori, and ‘park’ signifies an open space where anyone can participate.

Additionally, seminar rooms, Pansori experience rooms, Pansori sound acquisition rooms, outdoor performance venues, and in the future, reconstructed structures such as Haengnangchae, Seokgasan, and gardens will be added. Each individual facility will be given a separate appropriate name based on documentary evidence.

Dongri Sin Jae-hyo (申在孝, 1812?1884) was a member of the wealthy middle class from Gochang, Jeonbuk, who systematized Pansori and devoted himself as a patron, educator, and theorist of Pansori.

Pansori is our culture where a singer tells a long story in song to the rhythm of a drummer in a place called ‘pan’ where many people gather. All stories conveyed to the world can be called Pansori.

County Governor Shim Deok-seop said, “We will strive to establish a foundation for the revival and popularization of Pansori, firmly establish Gochang as the sacred place of Pansori in Korea, and develop it into a high-quality cultural content and complex cultural space befitting a World Heritage city.”