The institutionalisation of Korean traditional music: problematic business ethics in the construction of genre and place

The world of kugak, Korean traditional music, has today assumed a timeless quality. It is an important part of Korea’s national identity, sponsored by the state both to key institutions and through the elevation of iconic genres to Important Intangible Cultural Property status. This paper uses the lens of new institutionalism to explore the construction of kugak and its not-for-profit status within a formal institution, the National Gugak Centre. By distinguishing the modes of exchange of Korean musical practice past and present, and through a comparison with arts organizations elsewhere, the paper questions whether kugak can survive without state support and whether it can be introduced into the marketplace