Stephanie Jeong performs the traditional Korean folk song ’Arirang’

May is Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, and to celebrate the occasion, several musicians of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra have selected music that honors their cultural legacies.

Up first is Stephanie Jeong, associate concertmaster, who has chosen a traditional folk song called “”Arirang,“ regarded as the unofficial anthem of Korea. According to lore, the song tells the story of a bachelor and a maiden who fell in love while picking camellia blossoms near a wharf. Linguists have speculated that ”ari“ meant ”beautiful“ in ancient Korean and that ”rang" referred to a groom.

Pete Seeger, the godfather of the international folk-music movement, often performed the song in concert and would relate a more somber origin story. In the 1600s, a despotic emperor became notorious for murdering his opponents. His chosen method of execution: death by hanging from pine trees atop a hill called Arirang, near Seoul. According to legend, one condemned prisoner walked his final miles by singing about how much he loved his country, and how much he hated to bid farewell to it. Soon other prisoners followed his example and would perform “Arirang.” Under Korean tradition, anyone had the right to sing this song before his execution.

“Arirang” is so artistically significant that UNESCO added the work to its Lists of Intangible Cultural Heritage. Since the Korean War, the song has been continued to be performed in both North and South Korea as a symbol of unity in an otherwise divided region.