문화냉전기 국가 프로파간다와 공연예술: 1960-70년대 리틀엔젤스 활동의 국제정치학

Since its establishment the Little Angels, children’s performing arts troupe of Unification Church, South Korea has been considered as the representative cultural ambassador of South Korea. On a global level, the cute and smiling children of the troupe became a successful means of propaganda, promoting South Korea as a peace-loving nation with culture and arts whose image had been dominated by war, poverty, international aid, and orphans. However, despite the fame, their historical and cultural meanings have not been properly examined. By examining the construction and activities of the Little Angels in the context of cold war, this paper explores the process of nationalist reconstruction of traditional performing arts and the role of the state in the process. This political and ideological purpose resulted in creating a specific performance style and repertoires for overseas performance manifested in its main repertoire including traditional folk dances like the fan dance, gayageum byeongchang (vocal with gayageum [12-string zither] accompaniment), nongak (farmers’ band music), and a chorus of traditional and modern songs. To fulfill the nationalistic construction of traditional performing arts within the context of cultural cold war, specific repertoires, specific staging styles based on cold war orientalism have (re)produced. Within the international context of cold war, competitions over two Koreas, nationalistic construction of traditional culture, the Little Angles have performed the role of propaganda of cultural cold war, successful reconstruction and development of anti-communist Korea and Korean nationalism. By exploring the socio-historical and political contexts of the performing arts in South Korea during the 1960s-70s, the overseas performance history of the Little Angels, their staged performance style, and repertoire, and the members, this paper considers this non-governmental children’s performing arts troupe of Unification Church at the intersection of the state, religious mission, performing arts, and a certain historical period; the ways in which traditional performing arts were selected, supported, and produced by the state as means of propaganda; and how these together defined the direction of Korean performing arts in general.