Seoul subway transfer station melody gets rearranged

A poster for subway transfer music / Courtesy of National Gugak Center

Many Seoul subway riders will recognize the short piece of traditional Korean music that plays as a train approaches a station with transfer lines.

The tune, played for about five seconds, alerts passengers to upcoming transfer stations. According to the National Gugak Center (NGC), which created the tune, the transfer melody used on Seoul Metro subway lines 1 through 8 will be changed this year after a survey.

The music will not be replaced entirely, but differently arranged.

“Pungnyeon,” a gayageum (traditional zither) solo accompanied by piano, bass and drums was composed by musician Park Gyeong-hoon and adopted as the subway transfer music in 2023. The full version of “Pungnyeon” is available on the NGC Archive.

“The new music will reflect feedback from subway staff and passengers who asked for clearer sound distinction,” the NGC said in a press release.

The gugak center explained that the current version’s sound frequencies are too similar to the noise and vibrations of moving trains, making the melody difficult for passengers to recognize.

“To address this, the NGC analyzed the sound qualities and frequency ranges of various traditional Korean instruments and created a new arrangement,” it said, adding that the new version will feature daegeum (large transverse bamboo flute), haegeum (two-stringed vertical fiddle), yanggeum (hammered dulcimer) and sogeum (small bamboo transverse flute).

Since the Seoul subway began operating in the 1970s, various sounds and musical pieces have been used as transfer signals. In the 1990s, cuckoo calls were used alongside electronic and whistle sounds. In the early 2000s, classical music entered the lineup, with Vivaldi’s L’estro armonico selected.

In 2009, traditional Korean music was adopted for the first time as part of efforts to promote Korean culture. That music was replaced by “Pungnyeon” at the end of 2022.

“We hope to incorporate more traditional music content into the public transportation system,” the NGC said.