Samulnori is a group of four dynamic musicians dedicated to performing with vibrant body movements. The Korean words sa and mul means 'four objects' and nori means 'to play'. In the case of Samulnori, it refers to the four musicians playing and dancing with their four percussion instruments, which are Kwaenggari, janggu, jing and buk.

Samulnori originates from pungmul, the traditional Korean performance. The style has changed through the years and evolved in various and different ways. In Pungmul, about 24 professional performers play as a group outdoors. They usually have eight musicians playing instruments, eight dancers performing on hand-held drums(sogo), and eight actors who mimic various characters in addition to the T'aep'yongso(conical oboe) players. Samulnori, performed indoors as a stage genre, unlike Pungmul expresses the traditional Korean culture, an agricultural society rooted in the natural environment.

In 1978, Samulnori sparked a renaissance in Korea's music scene and has drawn worldwide attention since then. Samulnori has gained international popularity as it continues to deliver splendid Korean music throughout the world. Not only does Samulnori depict the rhythm of percussion but more importantly it is based on the principle of "excitement and relaxation" and "harmony". It is the mystery of Samulnori that when the beats slow down, it becomes extremely slow and when the performance reaches the end, the beat picks up at an incredible speed. This juxtaposition of slow and fast rhythm derives from the Korean music principle "excitement and relaxation".