지신밟기 (Ji Shin Balp Ki)

Note: 지신밟기 should be romanized as "Ji Shin Balp Gi (JSBG)," however, around 2010, our groups started to spell it as "Ji Shin Balp Ki (JSBK)" and that name has stuck since.

지신밟기 (地神밟기; Ji Shin Balp Ki) is an annual traditional folk practice that occurs around Lunar New Year in which townspeople parade around town, visiting every house while beating their drums. The sound of the drums and lively performance are meant to soothe or assuage the spirits around us so that they do not rile up and bring misfortune. Marching to step on evil spirits so that they stay beneath the ground is another way to understand the meaning of the performance. 지신밟기 (JSBK) was an exciting way to bring in the new year and wish good fortune for family and neighbors alike. Although it is not practiced as prevalently any more in modern Korea, the tradition remains in the form of 풍물 (Pungmul).

See papers by Jennifer L. Bussell, Taesuk Kihl, Donna Lee Kwon, and Katherine In-Young Lee in the miscellaneous resources page for more detailed information.

Pungmul and JSBK would largely come to the U.S. with the many Korean immigrants during the 1970s and 1980s waves of Democracy and Student movements. It would be utilized by Korean-American political activist groups to raise awareness to issues or to raise funds (like how it often was used in Korea). However, its political association would transition into one of national identity as a new group of 1.5 generation and second generation Korean-Americans planted themselves into the many diverse U.S. metropolitan areas. 

In the wakes of the 1988 Seoul Olympics and the 2002 FIFA world cup and before the explosion of the New Korean Wave (한류), the 1990s and early 2000s saw the formation of many Pungmul and Samulnori groups in U.S. colleges (such as: UC Berkeley, Brown, Cornell, MIT, NYU, UCLA, UCI, UCSB, UIUC, U-M, and others). Most, if not all, were the product of existing Korean clubs consisting of Korean-American students as well as non-Koreans interested in the culture, but the drumming specific groups provided their communities (both Koreans and non-Koreans) an opportunity to experience an aspect of traditional Korean culture. While most groups mainly performed at local or on-campus cultural events, some of the bigger groups, in areas with local Koreatowns, were able to organize JSBK events. 

JSBK allowed the students and the Korean and family-owned businesses to partake in a tradition from their familial country – a moment to celebrate customs and to relive past memories of Korea in their new homes in the U.S. However, as the times have changed and the number of Korean and family-owned businesses have decreased, JSBK, as a dedicated event, has become rarer, essentially now existing in the forms of Lunar New Year celebrations and grand opening ceremonies.

See papers by Jennifer L. Bussell, Taesuk Kihl, Donna Lee Kwon, and Katherine In-Young Lee in the miscellaneous resources page for more detailed information.

JSBK in Koreatown, Los Angeles shares the same origin story as with many other cities. First celebrated sometime between 1987 and 1990 by a local Korean-American political activist group, it provided a sense of community and a way to raise funds. From the 1990s into the 2000s, as Pungmul/Samulnori clubs formed at local college campuses, the event, especially following the 1992 LA Riots, would transition its purpose towards building a stronger Korean community as well as maintaining a Korean identity.

In keeping with the original tradition, the various collegiate Pungmul/Samulnori clubs would come together to Koreatown during the Lunar New Year to march and drum to “step on the evil spirits” and to wish the business’ good fortunes for the New Year. JSBK often saw many banterous exchanges between the drummers and the store owners, as well as spontaneous dancing and singing. Business owners would often provide offerings and donations, while the group would, in turn, gift bokjoris (복조리). This yearly tradition is also one of the few times the groups are able to come together to eat and bond as well as showcase their group's unique performance routines.

However, JSBK in Koreatown, Los Angeles, slowly suffers the same fate as JSBK in the rest of the U.S. As the original immigrant generations pass and with the loss of many Korean family owned businesses in Koreatown, the memory and appreciation of JSBK also fades. JSBK will not last, but the groups still celebrating it every Lunar New Year cherish the collective memory of the event and what it has come to mean for the Korean-American community.

The participating college groups are as follows:

• 한울림 (Hanoolim; UCLA) from 1990 to 2020

• 한얼 (Hanul; UCSB) from 1995 to 2009

• 한소리 (Hansori; UCI) from 2002 and ongoing

• 하늘소리 (Haneulsori; USC) from 2013 to 2020