has six silk or nylon-strung strings on a rectangular wood body with 13 bamboo or woody frets

Time period: 1392–1897 (over 500 years)

Founded by: Yi Seong-gye (later King Taejo)

Ideology: Neo-Confucianism became the official state philosophy

• Emphasized morality, hierarchy, filial piety, discipline, and social order

Society:

• Ruled by the yangban (scholar-official) class

• Society was highly stratified and patriarchal

Culture:

• Focus on refinement, scholarship, and self-cultivation

• Geomungo symbolized Confucian values like restraint and harmony

• Arts (poetry, painting, court music) flourished under elite patronage

Major achievement:

• Invention of Hangul (Korean script) in 1443 by King Sejong

• Allowed common people to read and write

Legacy:

• Strong influence on modern Korean culture, values, and aesthetics

• Seen as a golden age of Korean Confucian scholarship and tradition

another song that incorporates traditional korean instruments

instrument used: piri, saenghwang, and yanggeum