Arirang is a Korean folk song that is often considered to be the anthem of Korea. There are about 3,600 variations of 60 different versions of the song, all of which include a refrain similar to, "Arirang, arirang, arariyo". It is estimated the song is more than 600 years old.
During the Japanese occupation of Korea from 1910 to 1945, when singing was proscribed and it became a criminal offense for anyone to be singing any patriotic song including the national anthem of Korea, Arirang became an unofficial anthem. Arirang became a resistance anthem against Imperial Japanese rule. Korean protesters sang Arirang during the March 1 Movement, a Korean demonstration against the Japanese Empire in 1919. Many of the variations of Arirang that were written during the occupation contain themes of injustice, the plight of labourers, and guerrilla warfare. It was also sung by the mountain guerrillas who were fighting against the fascists.
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