Improving Archival Records and Service of Traditional Korean Performing Arts in a Semantic Web Environment

Purpose:This research project aims to organize the archival information of traditional Korean performing arts in a semantic web environment.Key requirements,which the archival records manager should consider for publishing and distribution of gugak performing archival information in a semantic web environment,are presented in the perspective of linked data.Design/methodology/approach:This study analyzes the metadata provided by the National Gugak Center’s Gugak Archive,the search and browse menus of Gugak Archive’s website and K-PAAN,the performing arts portal site.Findings:The importance of consistency,continuity,and systematicity—crucial qualities in traditional record management practices—is undiminished in a semantic web environment.However,a semantic web environment also requires new tools such as web identifiers(URIs),data models(RDF),and link information(interlinking).Research limitations:The scope of this study does not include practical implementation strategies for the archival records management system and website services.The suggestions also do not discuss issues related to copyright or policy coordination between related organizations.Practical implications:The findings of this study can assist records managers in converting a traditional performing arts information archive into a semantic web environment-based online archival service and system.This can also be useful for collaboration with record managers who are unfamiliar with relational or triple database system.Originality/value:This study analyzed the metadata of the Gugak Archive and its online services to present practical requirements for managing and disseminating gugak performing arts information in a semantic web environment.In the application of the semantic web services’principles and methods to an Gugak Archive,this study can contribute to the improvement of information organization and services in the field of Korean traditional music.

The Present Situation and Prospects of Performing Arts Business Which Uses “JongmyoJeryeak”

JongmyoJeryeak is the most famous traditional music in South Korea.It is a kind of worshipping song for the kings and queens of the Joseon Dynasty.JongmyoJeryeak was registered as South Korea’s first intangible cultural asset,also registered as the first of South Korea’s World Intangible Cultural Heritage by UNESCO.Since 2010,JongmyoJeryeak has been performed not only at an annual ceremony but also at special performances with explanations and dramas at the Jongmyo Shrine.This performance has two concrete aims.First,it is held so that both the public and young people can easily access JongmyoJeryeak,a traditional Korean treasure,which is rarely seen in person.Second,it is designed to inspire pride in traditional culture and promote the beauty of JongmyoJeryeak to tourists who visit Jongmyo Shrine.This performance attracts about 60,000 viewers over the past ten years.It means that the public impact of this performance is enormous.This case is a very pertinent example of the developing performing arts business,especially with respect to the world intangible cultural heritage in South Korea.Also,this performance contains dramatic elements that include explanations for the general public,and is therefore very compatible with the trend toward popularization.So,we will try to analyze the present situation of this performance and seek to better understand how coexisting aspects of this performing business inherit or develop this modernized traditional heritage.

The Income Security System in Japanese Traditional Performing Arts： A Strategy for Utilizing the Nation＇s Traditional Arts Resources

The objective of this paper is to examine an effective strategy for maintaining and utilizing the traditional arts resources of Japan. The authors explore two pillars of the strategy. One is to improve the quality of Japanese traditional performing arts by securing incomes for artists. The other is to utilize the traditional arts as a medium to expand Japanese cultural influence in foreign countries and to improve Japan＇s branding as a nation. First, the authors focus on the income security system practiced in traditional Japanese music and describe the discrepancy between short- and long-run optimality. The authors prove that the reputation of this art form affects its popularity and that it is optimal for the Iemoto （the head of the music school） to restrict the number of pupils in onstage performances in order to maintain stage quality. Second, the authors provide evidence that effective methods for a country to expand its cultural influence across the world differ among nations. The authors conduct willingness-to-pay （WTP） experiments and find that while German audiences largely prefer traditional Japanese music, those in the USA are slightly partial to its mixed fusion form. Therefore, the effective ways to expand Japanese cultural influence in foreign countries differ from one country to another.