1930s – 2020sPeak: 1960s
Trot
About Trot
Korea's oldest popular song form, trot took shape in the early twentieth century and is defined by its steady two-beat rhythm, nicknamed ppongjjak. Its dramatic, sentimental vocals carried the country through colonial rule, war, and rapid modernization. Long dismissed as old-fashioned, trot found a new mass audience through television singing contests in the 2010s and 2020s.