Popular love song reflects Maori influence in Korea

New Zealand Ambassador Clare Fearnley, left, stands next to John Riley, deputy head of the embassy, when Riley and two Kiwi musicians sing a song during a networking event with Korean journalists at the envoy’s residence in Seoul on May 6. / Courtesy of New Zealand Embassy

By Kang Hyun-kyung

The love song “Yeon-ga” was so popular in Korea among people who are now in their 40s or older when they were raised. In the 1970s and 1980s, not only adults but also schoolgirls used to sing it a lot.

It is still one of the favorite songs for many older people and they will pick it at karaoke or at social outings whenever they are asked to sing.

Despite its popularity, few Koreans know that the song was originally from New Zealand and it reflects a Maori influence in Korea.

“It was brought to Korea by New Zealand soldiers during the Korean War,” said John Riley, deputy head of the New Zealand Embassy in Korea, during a gathering with Korean journalists at Ambassador Clare Fearnley’s residence in Seoul on May 6.

New Zealand sent approximately 6,000 troops to South Korea during the 1950-53 Korean War. The New Zealand soldiers not only fought for this country, but also left a lasting musical legacy here by spreading the Maori love song “Pokarekare Ana.”

“In Korea, they took the tune and made another love song. Pokarekare Ana is about rippling waters. It’s a story about how a woman came across the waters to see her loved one,” said Riley.

Riley and two kiwi musicians based in Seoul sang the song with guitars and performed a traditional Maori ancestral posture dance, haka, to welcome the Korean visitors during the reception.

The Kiwi diplomat said Maori warriors used to perform haka before a battle to demonstrate their strength and power and intimidate their competitors. “Maori people now do haka in lots of places. We do them in funerals and before we do sports matches,” Riley said. “Today we are doing haka not to scare you but to welcome you here.”

The Embassy of New Zealand organized the get-together with Korean journalists as Ambassador Fearnley arrived here in January to assume her post.

The Kiwi envoy said that since last year, bilateral relations between her country and Korea have been strong as they clinched a free trade agreement after years of negotiations, and Prime Minister John Key visited Korea in March.

During his visit, President Park Geun-hye and her New Zealand counterpart officially signed the free trade agreement.