Namhaean Byeolshingut / Courtesy of Busan National Gugak Center



By Yun Suh-young



The Busan National Gugak Center will be opening this year with a series of "gut" (exorcism) performances scheduled for every Saturday until the end of this month.



The series is an effort of the gugak (traditional music) center to rediscover the artistic value of the traditional exorcism performances of Korea, which are preserved now as less of a religious activity and more as a cultural asset. The gut performance is considered a comprehensive art form merging traditional music, dance and vocals in colorful traditional attire.



The Busan Gugak Center had been offering "gut" performances since last year to open the New Year with entertaining traditional performances.



As part of the series, the center will offer different styles of gut from different regions that are designated national intangible cultural assets. The series of exorcism performances dubbed "Gut! Good!" began by introducing Donghaean Byeolshingut from Donghae, the east coast of the peninsula, on Jan. 6.



The second of the series will be Namhaean Byeolshingut from the south coast of the peninsula spanning from Tongyeong, Busan, Masan and Namhae to Yeosu in the South Gyeongsang and South Jeolla provinces. This gut is a communal exorcism performed among fishermen in the coastal villages.



The third in the series will be Jindo Sitgimgut of the southwestern coast and will take place on Jan. 20, while on Jan. 27, Seohaean Baeyeonshingut, the gut of the west coast, will take place. All performances are conducted by professional gut masters and their disciples.



For those born in the year of the dog, the performances are offered free of charge if they book in advance. A special gift

will be offered when they leave comments about the performance on busan.gugak.go.kr.



Ticket reservations are available through the website or Interpark. Tickets are 8,000 won and 10,000 won. Those aged under 18 will be admitted free to the performances while students under 24 and the disabled and elderly are offered 50 percent discounts on the tickets. For more information, call 051-811-0114.



