In the past, shamans south of JeollaProvince were mostly related by marriage or doubly related by marriage among themselves. When an exorcism was held in the region, they established their own network by participating in the ritual. Muboo, among others, with an adorable voice, became soriggun (traditional folk singer) who enjoyed a wide popularity. This demonstrates why many folk artists in the Sinawi line, south of Gyeonggi, are of shaman origin. The group, while being discriminated by social class system, has served as a treasure of transmitting traditional folk songs.
The thesis is mainly focused on analyzing with actual proof how the foundation of Gwangju-sori is related to hereditary shamans in Damyang-Goksung-Hwasun areas of SouthJeollaProvince. The first clue was discovered by identifying that Park Dong-Shil, the great singer in Damyang, Han Ae-Sun in Goksung, and Gong Chang-Shik in Hwasun are interrelated by marriage. They maintained homogeneity in their music style, and preserved the tradition of Gwangju-sori by forming a performance group. Another actual example is that the Changwoo family of shaman origin played a crucial role in passing down Honam Pansori.
However, Gwangju-sori came to a deadlock for a while in the Pansori history as several significant figures such as Park Dong-Shil and Gong Gi-Nam crossed over the border into the North in the era of liberation. Moreover, Gwangju-sori was almost on the brink of extinction, particularly attributable to such a historic scar, by being excluded from designation as intangible cultural treasure.