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Daechwita: South Korea’s Traditional Music Reimagined — A Cultural Phenomenon & Global Hit by BTS' SUGA
"Daechwita" (대취타 大吹打) by Agust D (SUGA of BTS) stands as a monumental achievement in both commercial success and cultural impact. A legendary global hit.
Released in 2020, this track boldly blends traditional Korean musical elements with contemporary hip-hop, captivating global audiences and topping charts worldwide. With hundreds of millions of streams on platforms like Spotify and YouTube, "Daechwita" solidified Agust D's position as a pioneering Asian artist in the global hip-hop scene.
Beyond its commercial triumphs, "Daechwita" serves as a powerful cultural statement. The music video features striking visuals including traditional Korean hanbok attire, historic palace settings, and symbolic swordplay, weaving Korea’s rich history into modern music culture. It has been showcased in prominent exhibitions such as the "Soundwaves of Science" at the Korean Cultural Center UK, demonstrating its significance in bridging heritage with contemporary art.
Educational and media outlets recognize "Daechwita" for raising worldwide awareness of Korean culture and traditional music, inspiring new artistic expressions and advancing the Korean Wave. Its fusion of classic and modern themes resonates with diverse audiences, establishing the song as both a commercial hit and a cultural milestone in K-pop and hip-hop history.
Daechwita: The Ultimate Fusion of Traditional Korean Music and Modern K-Pop Power.
Whenever traditional Korean music intersects with K-pop, Daechwita is always the iconic benchmark and is featured in official exhibitions and mentions.
List of Mentions and Exhibitions showcasing Daechwita
List of Mentions and Exhibitions showcasing Daechwita
2025 - Official Exhibitions in Daegu, South Korea
K-R COMMUNITY in Daegu hosted "Meeting Instead of Parting” International Art Exhibition in Daegu which was dedicated to SUGA on his birthday.
Head of Jung-gu District Administration in Daegu and Director of the Daegu Foundation for Cultural Promotion visited the exhibition for support.
Besides, a painting inspired by Daechwita was showcased in A “Daechwita”-inspired painting is being showcased at the 4th International Contemporary Artists Association Member Exhibition, “Possibilities Beyond Uncertainty”. It was hosted by IACPA and sponsored by the Daegu Metropolitan City and the Daegu Culture and Arts Promotion Agency. The exhibition featured around 400 works by 160 artists from Korea, China, Taiwan, Mongolia, Russia, and Uzbekistan.
2025 Sep - Mentioned by National Museum of Korea
“music videos, which strongly appeal to young people around the world... BTS's "IDOL" and SUGA (Agust D)'s "Daechwita" influenced director Maggie Kang of "K-pop Demon Hunters.”
Daechwita was mentioned by National Museum of Korea mentioned about boosting global interest in K-culture.
2025 Aug - 80th Anniversary of Korean Liberation Exhibition in South Korea
“BTS SUGA (Agust D)'s "Daechwita" is a K-POP track that reinterprets traditional Korean military music and royal court culture through modern hip-hop.”
‘Daechwita’ was proudly featured as a historical record of Korean culture in the 80th Anniversary of Korean Liberation Exhibition at Gwanghwamun Square, Seoul.
2025 April to June - ‘Soundwaves of Science’ Exhibition in UK
‘Daechwita’ MV was showcased at the ‘Soundwaves of Science’ exhibition, hosted by the Korean Cultural Centre UK and the National Science Museum.
2025 - School Music Textbook in South Korea
Daechwita is included in school music textbooks highlighting how the track introduced younger generations to the richness of Gugak (traditional Korean music).
2024 - Boston's Museum of Fine Arts, US
Daechwita was shown in The Korean Wave exhibition at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston
2024 - Mentioned by Cultural Heritage Administration Head and Newsletter by National Heritage Administration, South Korea
BTS's love for national heritage can also be seen through Suga's 'Daechwita'. This song, which samples Daechwita, our traditional marching music, and combines trap beats with traditional instruments such as Taepyeongso and kkwaenggwari, was well-received as a fresh combination of Korean traditional music and rap, and gained global popularity, reaching 300 million streams. As a result, interest in the traditional music called 'Daechwita' also increased, and the National Gugak Center, which uploaded a related video, hastily added subtitles to respond to the sudden increase in views.
Cultural Heritage Administration Head 'Chung Jae-suk' acknowldged Daechwita's impact. She said, "The song has sparked global fans’ interest in the traditional Korean intangible cultural heritage “Daechwita,” and a five-minute video clip explaining it has received over 120,000 views."
Daechwita was also featured in a National Heritage Administration newsletter titled "Hip, not old! Hip, combination of national heritage and content." The spotlight on SUGA’s work significantly increased public awareness of traditional Korean music, prompting the need to add subtitles to related videos to accommodate the sudden global interest. This showcases Daechwita’s powerful role in revitalizing and modernizing Korea's intangible cultural heritage for new audiences worldwide.
2022 - “HALLYU! The Korean Wave" Exhibition in V&A Museum, UK
In 2020 Agust D's hit "Daechwita" sampled Joseon military processional music, which features three percussion and three wind instruments, laid over rap and trap beats.
Daechwita was featured in the V&A Museum's landmark exhibition, “HALLYU! The Korean Wave”.
2020 - Mentioned by Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism, South Korea
"SUGA mesmerized the world with 'Daechwita', in which he reinterpreted the traditional Korean military parade music into a modern hip-hop song with the vibe and beats played by the palace royal guards of the Joseon Dynasty."
Minister Park Yang-Woo cited BTS Suga's "Daechwita," a joyous harmony of traditional Korean music, a s an example, saying, "Korean Wave that utilizes tradition has become very important," and emphasized, "We need to diversify the genres of Korean Wave through classical music, traditional dance, Korean art, and more.
"More and more people are feeling depressed because of COVID-19. In this age of estrangement, we are concerned about creating a war m community connected to culture. This is the 'Cultural New Deal."
2020 - "Connecting with Korea Through the Traditional Arts" Lecture-Performance in New York
Due to the explosive popularity of Daechwita, the Korean Cultural Center New York organized a lecture-performance as part of its "Connecting with Korea through the Traditional Arts" series. This event aimed to popularize Gugak, introducing audiences to the rich heritage of traditional Korean music through the iconic piece Daechwita.
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