@article{ART003175448},
author={Hwang Soo Im and Lee, Soon-Wook},
title={The Development and Logic of the All-Citizen Singing Campaign in the 1950s and the 1960s},
journal={Journal of Humanities},
issn={1598-8457},
year={2025},
number={96},
pages={137-180}
TY - JOUR
AU - Hwang Soo Im
AU - Lee, Soon-Wook
TI - The Development and Logic of the All-Citizen Singing Campaign in the 1950s and the 1960s
JO - Journal of Humanities
PY - 2025
VL - null
IS - 96
PB - Institute for Humanities
SP - 137
EP - 180
SN - 1598-8457
AB - This paper takes a critical approach to the use of the All-Citizen Singing Campaign for political purposes. It delves into the formation and evolution of the post-war sing-along movement, which purportedly served as a conduit for social communication within the context of cultural inequality. The article thoroughly examines the shifts in the organizers of the All-Citizen Singing Campaign, and the mobilization of related institutions and mass media to uncover the reality of state-initiated culture. While artistic movements are generally associated with political oppression or philosophical ideas, the Sing-along Movement is a far cry from that. This is because it began as a movement of state-organized culture that focused on reforming the consciousness and the living patterns of the people as a means of enlightenment and social edification. The mimetic practice of theories and methods, which has been learned during the Japanese colonial period of Korea (1910-1945), was transformed within political dynamics to serve as a disciplinary tool for reestablishing the national identity.
The movement aspired to autonomous participation but functioned as a calculated device of domination. The format of the songs changed, as shown in the sheet music collections published during the period of the nationwide movement (Publications 1~3 by the Promotion Committee for the Sing-along Movement, 1954~1958), Songs for the New Nation (1961), and the Ministry of Public Affairs’ official documents on the implementation of the Sing-along Movement (1967). These documents clearly show the changes in the process of the movement. The early songs, which featured difficult symbols of musical motif, were gradually transformed into an easy-to-follow format. This represented a faint but meaningful change in the nation-building process, which had been boosted by the active encouragement of the related ministries and the media that were engaged in multi-layered interactions with politics.
KW - All-Citizen Sing-along Campaign;Nationalism; National Reconstruction Movement;Raising Consciousness among the Public;Formation of National Identity;A National Song;A Wholesome Song
DO -
UR -
ER -
Hwang Soo Im and Lee, Soon-Wook. (2025). The Development and Logic of the All-Citizen Singing Campaign in the 1950s and the 1960s. Journal of Humanities, 96, 137-180.
Hwang Soo Im and Lee, Soon-Wook. 2025, "The Development and Logic of the All-Citizen Singing Campaign in the 1950s and the 1960s", Journal of Humanities, no.96, pp.137-180.
Hwang Soo Im, Lee, Soon-Wook "The Development and Logic of the All-Citizen Singing Campaign in the 1950s and the 1960s" Journal of Humanities 96 pp.137-180 (2025) : 137.
Hwang Soo Im, Lee, Soon-Wook. The Development and Logic of the All-Citizen Singing Campaign in the 1950s and the 1960s. 2025; 96 : 137-180.
Hwang Soo Im and Lee, Soon-Wook. "The Development and Logic of the All-Citizen Singing Campaign in the 1950s and the 1960s" Journal of Humanities no.96(2025) : 137-180.
Hwang Soo Im; Lee, Soon-Wook. The Development and Logic of the All-Citizen Singing Campaign in the 1950s and the 1960s. Journal of Humanities, 96, 137-180.
Hwang Soo Im; Lee, Soon-Wook. The Development and Logic of the All-Citizen Singing Campaign in the 1950s and the 1960s. Journal of Humanities. 2025; 96 137-180.
Hwang Soo Im, Lee, Soon-Wook. The Development and Logic of the All-Citizen Singing Campaign in the 1950s and the 1960s. 2025; 96 : 137-180.
Hwang Soo Im and Lee, Soon-Wook. "The Development and Logic of the All-Citizen Singing Campaign in the 1950s and the 1960s" Journal of Humanities no.96(2025) : 137-180.
