The Bongsan Mask Dance-Drama is a masque representative of Hwanghae Province, located in what is presently north Korea, which was originally performed in Kyongsu-dae in Bongsan township. After around 1915, when the county administration office was moved to Sariwon and the Seoul-Shinuiju rail line was opened, the Bongsan masque was performed at the foot of Mt. Kyongam in Sariwon.

In the early 1930's it was decided by the masque players and those in the region who sought to preserve this art to establish maintain and the Pongsan Mask Dance-Drama Preservation Society. On August 15, 1945, Korea was liberated from Japan and divided into north and south. The Korean War that broke out on June 25, 1950 brought about a resultant stagnation in the activities of the Society. Fortunate it was, however, that the majority of the performers were able to escape to the south ; and, in 1958, the Society was once again rehabilitated with such notable players as Kim, Jin-ok and Lee, Keun-sung at the forefront, and it has been maintained down until the present day.

In 1961, the Bongsan masque copped the Presidential Prize at the 1st National Folk Art Contest, and was the winner of many top awards at similar functions thereafter. In 1965, the Cultural Properties Bureau assigned various scholars specializing in this particular field to undertake research on the Bongsan masque ; and, in 1967, it was designated "Important Intangible Cultural Property No. 17" by the Korean government.

In order that the masque might be properly transmitted, the training of successors was begun in 1962, and it is they who, today, perform the leading roles. In 1973, the Ministry of Culture and Information established the Successor's Hall, and it is here where future transmitters of the art are now being trained even more intensively than before.

In 1965, the Asia Society sponsored a performance tour of the U. S. by the Bongsan masque, and, for two years thereafter, the troupe rehearsed extensively to prepare for future overseas tours. From March 1 to April 30, 1977, the troupe performed at such places as Harvard University and the American Museum of Natural History in New York where it was praised as one of the first genuine forms of Asian theater to be performed outside of its natural habitat. In May of the same year, the troupe performed in Tokyo under the auspices of the Asahi Newspaper Corp. where it was lauded both in the press and on TV for its performances.

In 1978. the troupe participated in the CIOFF International Folk Arts Festival where it gave performances in seven European countries, including Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Denmark, France, Sweden, and West Germany, for a period of three months, receiving wide acclaim.

In 1979, the troupe performed in Hong Kong and Taiwan where it received favorable criticism, and, in 1980, it once again visited Europe under the auspices of the Extra European Arts where it performed in five countries : France, West Germany (including West Berlin), Switzerland, Italy, and Spain. The performance tour received accolades from European theater circles.

In 1983, part of the troupe performed in Japan, and this year they are scheduled to return for another performance.

The Bongsan masque, long recognized as one of the finest forms of Korean mask dance-drama, has now received world-wide recognition as well. The superbtexture of the dance, dialogue, gesture, song, and musical accompaniment, as well as the costumes and masks employed, have always left a deep and lasting impression and reaped great praise from audiences both at home and abroad.

It is believed, then, that it is for this reason that the organizing committee of the Los Angeles Olympics has so graciously extended an invitation to the Bongsan troupe to participate in the grand opening arts festival on this very auspicious occasion.

In the future, the Bongsan troupe will endeavor to set up a cultural interchange with other nations throughout the world whereby performances may be able to be staged in one another's countries.

Today, in Korea, the successors of this masque are passing on their heritage to the younger generation, many of whom are graduates of established colleges and universities, thus providing an even brighter prospect for this dance-dramatic art in the years to Fervor among scholars and students, both in Korea and elsewhere, to undertake research on the masks, costumes, dialogue, gesture, song, and musical accompaniment has continually been on the rise. In addition, the desire on the part of student circles on every college and university campus in Korea to learn more about the Bongsan masque has been growing continuously.

It is through this link, then, that most of the members of the Society have been actively engaged in conducting classes on campuses throughout the nation. And, in line with this, Bongsan masque contests for college students are being planned in the future to inject it with an even greater vitality.

The Society is presently working on a plan to construct its own institute in the future. It is there that film showings of past masters of this art will be shown and materials used in performances placed on exhibit. The training of successors will also be continued there, and the institute will be open to both Koreans and foreigners alike, to men and women, to whomsoever wishes to make use of the available facilities to further his study and research on the Bongsan masque.

The creation of such an institute is not without its problems, but with the firm support and backing of those who deeply treasure the Bongsan masque, the realization of a truly superb institute shall be sooner at hand.

With the gradual emergence of the Korean Bongsan Mask Dance-Drama onto the stages of the world, it is hoped that in the future this masque will continue even further in the presentation of performances to all peoples of the world and to all the corners of the earth.