[Uncharted Koreatown] Before the Melody Was Written
- karasanfrancisco
- Apr 6
- 3 min read
Updated: Apr 6
A Nation Without a Voice
Today, Korea is recognized worldwide as a cultural force—from K-pop to classical music, from cinema to fine arts. It is a country that now defines global trends. But such prestige did not come overnight. Behind the spotlight is a long and difficult history of resistance, migration, and identity. During the Japanese colonial period (1910–1945), Koreans were stripped of their sovereignty. Their language and cultural expressions were suppressed, and many were forced to continue the fight for independence while living in exile. One of the most critical centers for that struggle was across the Pacific Ocean—in San Francisco.
A Musician Encounters a Nation in Longing
It was here, in the early 1930s, that Ahn Eak-tai, already emerging as a globally recognized musician, arrived in the city. Not long after his arrival, he was invited to perform at the San Francisco Korean United Methodist Church, a vital gathering place for Korean immigrants. Before the concert began, Ahn stood beneath a Taegeukgi (Flag of Korea) hung above the stage and sang the Korean national anthem with the local congregation. But the melody they used was not Korean. It was Auld Lang Syne—a Scottish folk tune—adapted to Korean lyrics. At the time, this was the only way stateless Koreans could express national pride: by borrowing a melody to give voice to their own words.
“What left the deepest impression on me upon arriving in San Francisco,” Ahn later wrote in a letter to the church, “was seeing the Taegeukgi above the stage and singing the Korean national anthem for the first time in my life.”
That moment struck him deeply. A community that had lost its country and its language still found the strength to raise their voices—together, in a foreign land. Inspired by this experience, Ahn began to imagine an anthem that was fully and unmistakably Korean. As he continued his studies in the United States, he carried that moment with him, eventually composing a new anthem over the next several years. In 1935, he had completed the piece that Koreans still sing today.
Where the Anthem Took Root
San Francisco’s role in this story didn’t end with that first encounter. In the years that followed, a very early printed version of Ahn’s anthem appeared under the name Daehan-guk Aegukga (The National Anthem of Korea)—a sign that the vision sparked in San Francisco was beginning to take physical form. Later, in 1958, Ahn returned to the same church. There, he signed the guestbook and left behind a handwritten version of the anthem’s musical score—an enduring tribute to the place where the idea first took root.
San Francisco may not have been where the anthem was written, but it was where the inspiration for the anthem first sparked. Where a global artist was moved by the courage of his people, and the longing for a national voice became a song.
🙌 Want to learn more? Visit the church in person—or explore its history online (in Korean) [Link]
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