KBS Finds and Includes Former President Rhee Syngman's Voice Speech at the U.S. National Archives
The oldest known audio recording of the national anthem has been discovered.
According to Kim Hyung-seok, chairman of the Korea History and Future Foundation and a researcher of the late composer Ahn Ik-tae (former head of the Ahn Ik-tae Memorial Foundation), on the 11th, the KBS Modern History Archive Team found the recording on a broadcast tape held at the U.S. National Archives, converted it into a digital audio file, and recently provided it to the National Museum of Korean Contemporary History.
The newly discovered audio was broadcast on July 6, 1942, via the Voice of America (VOA) shortwave radio, and was sung by a soprano woman presumed to be Korean.
The oldest previously known recording of Ahn Ik-tae’s composition of the national anthem was a choir performance by Ewha Girls' High School students broadcast by Gyeongseong Broadcasting Station (former KBS) around 1946. The oldest record was a one-dollar record released on August 29, 1942, by the Korean American Federation during a flag-raising ceremony at Los Angeles City Hall.
This newly discovered audio is notable for including a Korean and English speech by former President Rhee Syngman appealing for support for Korean independence at the beginning and end. Experts analyzing the audio stated, “The broadcast of the current national anthem alongside a speech by former President Rhee Syngman, who was a key figure of the Provisional Government in 1942, on American radio is evidence that it was treated as a de facto national anthem.”
1942 'Voice of America' broadcast released on the KBS Modern History Archive YouTube channel [Image source=Captured from KBS Modern History Archive YouTube channel]
Chairman Kim explained, “During the Japanese colonial period, it was impossible to sing the national anthem in public within Korea, and at best, only the old national anthem with lyrics set to the Scottish folk tune ‘Auld Lang Syne’ could be sung. The fact that Ahn Ik-tae’s composition of the national anthem was broadcast in the U.S. means that the song was sufficiently recognized both domestically and internationally.”
The national anthem, believed to have been composed in 1907, became the official anthem with the establishment of the Republic of Korea government in 1948. While the composer is known to be Ahn Ik-tae, the lyricist remains unknown. Ahn Ik-tae composed the current national anthem after going to study in the U.S. in 1935 and feeling saddened by Korean expatriates singing the anthem to foreign folk tunes.
Officials of the Provisional Government in China also sang Ahn Ik-tae’s national anthem at official events. However, it was rarely sung domestically, and after liberation in 1945, Kim Gu, who returned to Korea, promoted the anthem, gradually increasing its recognition.
Meanwhile, KBS plans to donate the newly discovered audio to the National Museum of Korean Contemporary History after verification. Additionally, Chairman Kim will introduce the national anthem audio and explain its significance at a seminar held at the National Assembly Members' Office Building on the 13th.
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