Pansori (Korean: 판소리) is a Korean genre of musical storytelling performed by a singer and a drummer. The term pansori is a compounds of the Korean words pan 판 and sori 소리, the latter of which means "sound." However, pan has multiple meanings, and scholars disagree on which was the intended meaning when the term was coined. One meaning is "a situation where many people are gathered." Another meaning is "a song composed of varying tones."

In music, Gugwangdae describes a long story that takes as little as three hours and as much as eight hours or more. It is one of the traditional forms of Korean music that mixes body movements and songs to the accompaniment of a buk drum played by a gosu. The dramatic content of the drama is changed according to various rhythms based on the melody of Korea's local music. Pansori was originally called the "sori", and it was called Taryeong, Japga (잡가; 雜歌), Clown Song, and Geukga (극가; 劇歌). It was also commonly used in terms such as Changgeukjo (창극조; 唱劇調).

In the late 20th century, the sorrowful "Western style" of pansori overtook the vigorous "Eastern style" of pansori, and pansori began being called the "sound of han". All surviving pansori epics end happily, but contemporary pansori focuses on the trials and tribulations of the characters, commonly without reaching a happy ending because of the contemporary popularity of excerpt performances. Such modern changes to the character of pansori, including its recent emphasis on han, have led to concern within the traditional performing community.

Pansori has been designated as Korea's National Intangible Cultural Heritage No. 5 since 1964. On November 7, 2003, pansori was registered as the UNESCO's Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity of Korea. In 2011, the pansori practiced by the ethnic Koreans in China were also nominated as the UNESCO's intangible cultural heritage by the governments of Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture and Tieling.

Originally a form of folk entertainment for the lower classes, pansori was embraced by the Korean elite during the 19th century. While public interest in the genre temporarily declined in the mid-20th century, today's South Korean public and government are passionate in registering and recognizing many pansori singers as "living national treasures of Korea." North Korea, on comparison, has yet to implement the systematic support of pansori at the government level, as Kim Jong Il believed that pansori's performance voice was too hoarse and did not distinguish between male and female to suit the taste of today's people.

Pansori is a form of musical entertainment that has persisted in Korea from the 17th century to the present day.

A related term, "pannoreum," refers to plays such as Sandae-do Gamgeuk (산대도감극; 山臺都監劇) and geundu (근두; 筋斗), as well as tightrope walking. The pansori of the Joseon Dynasty included sijo poetry (시조; 時調) accompanied by music. Therefore, it is not appropriate to refer to pansori as Changgeuk (창극; 唱劇) or Changgeukjo (창극조; 唱劇調). Changgeuk is based on the name of Pansori dramatized after Wongaksa Temple (원각사; 圓覺社), but it is not suitable for pure Pansori. Therefore, Changgeukjo is appropriate for the musical term of the song sung in Changgeuk, but it is not appropriate for the form of pansori. [1]

"Pansori" as a musical term originated independently from the term "pannol" (pannoreum). Likewise, the literary form of this form of pansori is also called pansori. It is therefore necessary to distinguish between pansori as a musical term and pansori as a literary term, but it is still appropriate to use the term "pansori" to refer to sijo. [2]