Hulbert Heard Arirang in Korea More Than a Century Before BTS’s Global Reach

Arirang is now familiar to audiences around the world, and contemporary artists such as BTS have helped bring the Korean folk song to a new generation. The Korea Herald’s account looks back more than a century, to an earlier encounter with the melody in Korea.

Homer B. Hulbert, a young American, heard Arirang in the streets of Korea in the late 19th century and stopped to listen. He had arrived in Korea in 1886, aged 23. The source describes his arrival as part of a group of three Americans, but the available text does not provide further details about the group or what followed.

The story places Hulbert’s experience against Arirang’s long cultural history and its later presence in global K-pop. The song’s familiar melody has continued to reach listeners through contemporary performances, including those by BTS. The account connects that modern audience with an earlier moment when Hulbert encountered the music on the streets of Korea.