Britannica Sources used in this answer

Which five pansori song cycles are still performed?

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See and hear a man play a Korean buk — pansori Learn about the Korean *buk* (double-headed barrel drum) by watching and listening to a man play the type of *buk* that accompanies *pansori* narrative singing.

In the tradition of pansori, an original repertoire of 12 madang (song cycles) has been reduced over time, with only five remaining in performance today. These surviving cycles are:12

Chunhyangga: A love story between an upper-class man and the daughter of a kisaeng.1
Simcheongga: The tale of a devoted daughter who sacrifices herself to help her blind father regain his sight.1
Sugungga: A satirical and witty story recounting the adventures of a hare in an underwater kingdom.1
Heungbuga: A narrative exploring the struggle between good and evil through the lives of two brothers.1
Cheokbyeokga: A dramatic depiction of the Battle of Chibi (Red Cliff) based on the Chinese novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms.1

While these five cycles are the only ones still performed, they are rarely presented in their entirety, as a full performance could last up to 10 hours. Instead, singers typically perform selected episodes, often incorporating personal variations known as deoneum.1