Kim So-hyun and Son Jun-ho’s Harmony Rings Out on Hangul Day With ‘We (We)daehan Arirang’ — Second Collaboration

A national melody reborn with a modern sensibility, the essence of crossover

South Korea’s leading musical theater actors, married couple Kim So-hyun and Son Jun-ho, released their new song ‘We (We)daehan Arirang’ on Oct. 9 to mark Hangul Day. Their agency, Palmtree Island, said the song elevates a folk song rooted in Korea’s distinctive cultural sensibility into a modern crossover work.

The new song, ‘We (We)daehan Arirang’, uses Arirang — the traditional folk song that has shared in the joys and sorrows of the Korean people throughout their long history — as a metaphor for one vast wave. Grand orchestration and the two actors’ commanding vocals give the song a profound resonance that connects tradition and modernity.

The song was first previewed for audiences during the married couple’s solo concert, ‘Us, Moni?’, held successfully in May, where it drew an enthusiastic response. Responding to fans’ continued requests for its release, the artists have now unveiled a fully completed official recording with an even more polished sound.

The leading force behind the song’s finished sound is the popular composing duo Algoboni Honsusangtae (Kim Gyeong-beom and Kim Ji-hwan), known for their wide-ranging musical spectrum. Having produced hit songs across genres, from drama soundtracks to classical music, traditional Korean music and trot, the duo has demonstrated its musical chemistry with Kim So-hyun and Son Jun-ho for a second time, following ‘Together, We’, released in 2023.

Released during the symbolic occasion of Hangul Day, ‘We (We)daehan Arirang’ is being viewed as a meaningful effort to bring renewed attention, through popular culture, to the excellence of the Korean language and traditional melodies.