[Edaily Starin KIM HYUNSIK Reporter] “K-Pop Hot Talk” is a weekly column that highlights memorable quotes gathered while covering the K-pop scene. <Editor’s Note>

◇“I’d love to see overseas audiences performing ‘Ganggangsullae’”
This remark was made by Seodo Band—a five-member group widely recognized as the founders of “Joseon Pop” (vocalist Seodo, guitarist Yeon Tae-hee, bassist Kim Tae-ju, drummer Jeong Hyun-bin, and keyboardist Kim Seong-hyun)—during a recent interview with Edaily at KG Tower in Jung-gu, Seoul, when asked about their future dreams.
Seodo Band is a group that defines its musical identity through “Joseon Pop,” which reinterprets the charm of traditional music in a pop format. Since forming in 2018, they have traveled to various performance venues to share their unique musical world.
Whenever Seodo Band performs “Ganggangsullae,” one of their signature songs, at music festivals, a special scene unfolds. As the performance reaches its peak, audience members gather in small groups, hold hands, and dance the Ganggangsullae while enjoying the show.
Vocalist Seo Do, who studied pansori, expressed his hope to create such scenes frequently at overseas festivals as well. “I often imagine the spectacular sight of many international audiences enjoying our music while performing the Ganggangsullae,” he said, adding, “I hope the spirit embedded in our music spreads even further.”
Seo Do Band released their first full-length album, *One*, on the 14th. The album features 12 tracks centered around the narrative of the pansori piece *Chunhyangga*.

The album title is layered with multiple meanings. Seodo explained, “‘One’ encompasses various meanings—from the English word ‘one’ (ONE), signifying our first full-length album, to the geometric circle; the mutual longing between Chunhyang and Lee Mong-ryong; the resentment stemming from their separation; and the origin of the story.”
The process behind the album title is also intriguing. True to Seodo Band’s style of reinterpreting traditional music with a modern sensibility and continually exploring new approaches, their search for the name “One” involved collaboration with generative artificial intelligence (AI).
Seo Do explained, “Rather than simply calling the album ‘Chunhyang,’ we wanted to highlight an impactful keyword,” adding, “While developing ideas through conversations with generative AI, we came up with the word ‘One,’ which encapsulates the album’s content. Through that word, we were able to bring the various narratives contained in the album together into a single, cohesive whole.”
He identified “cyclicality” as the core theme running through this album. Seo Do said, “It captures the cycle of life, where meetings, partings, and reunions repeat,” adding, “I wanted to tell the story of life’s trajectory, where there is neither eternal joy nor eternal sorrow.”
Seo Do also expressed his hope, saying, “Through this album, I want to convey the message that tradition is not something stagnant, but rather something that has continued naturally from the past to the present.”