Korean American Association of Fort Lee Shares Musical Tradition at Festival

Before the rock and jazz music that dominated much of Sunday’s Fort Lee Arts and Music Festival began in earnest, attendees of the annual street fair were treated to a performance by a troop of Korean traditional folk musicians, who kicked off the festival and set the tone—or perhaps the rhythm—for the rest of the day.

The Ridgefield Park-based Han Noo Ri Poongmul group was established in 1997. The Korean traditional performance group actively promotes Korean drumming in the greater New York and New Jersey areas.

Poongmul, which is often classified as farmers' music or Nongak, reflects the history of its people in work, life, labor, military culture and Buddhist and shamanist beliefs. The art form, in which every performer is both a dancer and a musician and which is dominated by percussion instruments, such as drums and gongs, dates back to 297 A.D.

Poongmul was traditionally performed for days and nights on end to repel evil spirits, to celebrate the planting of crops and harvest and to provide spiritual uplifting and the revitalization of fatigued souls, according to the group.

“During big festivals … everyone in the village joined in the celebration, playing the drums and dancing to its rhythms to express communal solidarity,” Han Noo Ri says in its promotional brochure.

Performing Sunday in Fort Lee were Wonyoung Lim on the Jing, a large gong; Luri Lee on the JangGoo, or hourglass drum; Youngsam Yoon on the KwaengGaRi, a small gong; Meehyung Kim, also on the JangGoo, and Kyohurn Lee on the Bhook, or barrel drum.

Vice President of the Korean American Association of Fort Lee Kathy Lee helped arrange the performance that kicked off the festival.

“Our mission is to really celebrate the diversity that we have here among all different ethnicities,” Lee said by way of introduction. “We want to be everyone’s friend. We want to show and introduce our culture and just become part of Fort Lee—not only as Korean-Americans, but as Americans and Fort Lee residents.

Lee introduced Han Noo Ri as “a little marching band, so to speak,” for which the most important instrument is the drum.

“We hope that you enjoy it,” Lee told the crowd before Han Noo Ri began their rousing performance. “And we will have many more events, so please, next time you hear anything that’s happening by the Korean American Association, we hope you come out and enjoy the day with us and support us so we can all become one big Fort Lee community.”