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 Games. Fun for kids, and relief from the mundane affairs of everyday
living. Through history, Koreans have developed a wide variety of folk
games played by both adults and children alike. These games also
traditionally add more color to festivals and special get togethers for
both community and family.
Some of these games which are as old as the country itself have since
been largely forgotten, while others have survived to this day.
The common folk games, which we see today are of various types. The
common ones are:
Nolttwigi
 Commonly played on New Year’s Day, Nolttwigi is a popular “seesaw like”
game for women. A wooden board, approximately 3 Meters long, 30cm wide
and 5 cm thick, is placed with its center over a bundle of straws.
The game is played with two girls standing at opposite ends of the
board. As one stamps her feet on the board, the other soars into the
air. As one descends, the other rises up. Taking turns, the two partners
continue to seesaw until one of them fails. It requires special skill in
balancing oneself.
Kuneon Tano
 On this fifth day of the fifth lunar month, women and children in new
clothes flock together in search of amusement. Among the amusements of
this day, the greatest is swinging. The Korean swing originated from the
nomad people of North Asia, who used it for physical training and it was
introduced to Korea through China.
Players hang long ropes from the branches of tall trees, especially
willow trees or elm trees. Often a contest begins where those who fly up
the high stand and are able to kick a bell hung on a pole are declared
the winners.
Nottaribalkki
This is a folk game played by young women especially in an area called
Andong in the Northern Kyongsang Province on the l5th day of the first
full moon.
"Nottari" means a bridge made of human bodies and "Palkki" means
stepping.
When these two are put together, it carries a connotation of "stepping
over a human bridge".
Young women gather at a village square singing songs merrily and line up
in a row. Then they bend forward, each holding the waist of the one in
front with both hands and the line becomes a long stretched bridge. A
girl stepping over the bridge initiates singing to be accompanied by the
group's antiphony
Kanggangsullae
 Kanggangsullae is a kind of dance in which a large number of women form
a ring along the seashore or in a wide grass field and, linking their
hands, turn around in circle under the full moon. A woman with a big and
beautiful voice leads a song to which the others respond by singing
"Kanggangsullae", the traditional me1ody of Korea.
The starting melody of the song is slow but it becomes gradually faster,
and a dance is performed to the song.
Top-spinning
 Top-spinning is one of the favorite sports of boys Played either indoors
or outdoors, this game offers a diversion from the heat of summer and
the cold boredom of winter storms.
The frozen rice paddies or ponds offer the best place to spin the top.
Shuttlecock Kicking
It is said that shuttlecock kicking originated in the practice of
kicking a leather bag stuffed with furs and clothes so as to develop leg
strength, agility and alertness for martial arts. Nowadays, Koreans use
a piece of paper called “hanji” which is strung through a piece of
nickel. They then start kicking the shuttle cock using the instep of the
foot.
Kite Flying
 A common past time, New Year holidays see the most colorful displays of
kite sailing across the sky. The origins of kite flying in Korea dates
back to the time of the Shilla Kingdom.
The Korean kite is designed so as to encourage the kite flyers to
demonstrate their skills in flying a kite high, and the bendability of
its frame leaves room for the employment of various flying skills. The
Pangp'aeyon (shield kite) and Kaoriyon (stingray kite) are Just two of
the many different types of kites.
Ssirum
 Ssirum, the Korean version of wrestling, have tournaments held on Tano
(5th day of the fifth month) andin the summer and autumn. Considered a
test of strength, masculinity and vitalyty among youngsters, Since
Ssirum tests the physical strength of youngsters. it is a show of
masculinity and vitality. In the past, the winner was awarded a young
bull, the most valuable asset in pre-modern agricultural society.
The game is played with two players facing each other, sitting on their
knees and holding the opponent's "Sappa (a thick cloth band to be
gripped by hands)", the right hand holding the waist band and the left
hand holding the upper right thigh. They rise to their feet and begin
the contest at the signal of a judge. The player who topples his
opponent or causes him to touch the sand floor first is declared the
winner
Tug of Rope
 The tug of rope used to be played on the 15th of the lunar month and
sometimes on Tano (5th day of the 5th month) and Ch'usok (15th day of
the 8th lunar month).
The Korean tug of rope is different from "Tsnahiki" of Japan in that the
former puts greater emphasis on fostering the solidarity of villagers,
while the latter is played for victory.
Korean tug of ropes is played with the use of two ropes, one from the
eastern and the other from the western team. The ropes are unfolded and
their looped ends connected by inserting an oak stick through the loops.
The playground is pompously decorated with flags, gongs and cymbals to
urge in a fighting spirit. When the two teams are evenly matched,
Wheel Fighting or the Wagon War
The wagon war called "Ch'ajonnori" is a folk game which is played on the
l5th day of the first lunar month
A rumor has it that the first game of its kind was played in honor of
the victory of Wanggon, the founder of the Koryo Dynasty, in defending
Andong Castle from Kyonhwon, the king of Later Paekche. This contest
cultivates lighting spirit, mutual cooperation and local patriotism of
the participants.
This folk game is also called Tongch'aessaum. Tongch'ae means a wagon in
local dialect. When it comes to making an imitation wagon, villagers
locate suitable oak trees in the mountain and mark the area with a
straw rope. An imitation wagon is constructed by crossing two oak trees,
each 7 m long
On the spot where the two trees cross, a wooden board is placed with a
rug placed on it. Youths from one village engage those from a nearby
one.
Gossaum
 Gossaum(loop fighting) has been transmitted in Kwangsan district of
South -Western Province as a folk game performed on the l5th day of the
first lunar month. Go means a loop of a string which is fastened to
another on the jacket of Hanbok. This game has a geomancy-related
origin. According to geomancy, bull -shaped terrains harbour fierce
spirits, thus local people have developed rituals to appease the evil
spirits of this type of area. Loop fighting is one of rituals serving
this purpose.
Bamboos are bent to form rings. A bundle of bamboo rings are tied
together by straw ropes to form a loop. This loop is connected to a long
log, which forms the frame. Go is completed when the frame and the loop
are mounted on bars to be shouldered by people.
Two contesting teams are formed, one representing the eastern part and
the other representing the western part of a village. The contestants
arrive at the play ground. carrying torches on the night of full moon.
After a preparatory show-down the team dashes forward with their Go at
the captain's signal. When the two Go's collide. the heads of the Go's
rise high up in the air Advancing and retreating. the Go fighting
produces much excitement. The vehement contest reaches its climax when
it is coupled with signal flags and the sound of musical instruments
interspersed with gongs, horns and hand drums. The team which knocks its
opponent to the ground is the winner.
Yunnori
 Yunnori (four wooden blocks game) is the most popular folk game which
entertains everyone, regardless of age, occupation and gender. Today, we
can observe elders playing this game with much amusement
Yunnori utilizes four wooden blocks or yuts, each block measuring six
inches long and one inch wide and having one flat side and one round
side.
The players are divided into home and visiting teams. Each player throws
the yut two or three feet in the air, letting the four pieces fall on a
mat. One of the following five combinations of blocks results: one flat,
three round; two flat, two round; three flat, one round; four flat; or
four round. The first counts like a single base hit in baseball, the
second a double hit, the third a triple hit, the fourth and fifth home
runs. The game board consists of a circular diagram drawn on a mat and,
as each player throws the yut with a yell, the result is recorded by
advancing a token around the circle in a race to reach 'home" first.
The "four flat" or the "four round" gives the player a right to cast the
blocks once again. The team whose four tokens reach home first is the
winner.
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