Many variations of the song exist, and the titles usually denote which region the song originated. In all versions of the song, each verse and the refrain are of equal length.
The original Arirang song is Jeongseon Arirang, from the Jeongseon County in the Gangwon Province, where it has been sung for over 600 years.
The most famous version of the song is Seoul, but it is usually referred to as just Arirang. It was featured as the theme song in the movie Arirang made 1926.
The standard version of Arirang has three verses, although the second and third are not as often sung as the first.
While there are many mountain passes in Korea called “Arirang Pass,” much like the "Arirang Gogae," which is outside the Small East Gate of Seoul, it is most likely that the origin of the song’s title came from the tale of The Arirang Pass, a tale where lovers meet each other in a dreamland. The original story is that a beautiful maiden of the Miryang fell in love and her unrequited lover eventually killed her. Over time, however, the story changed to that of a woman bemoaning her unfeeling lover.
This is the context in which the lyrics of the song usually take. A woman, usually, is singing out to her lover to not leave her behind or to take her with him on his journey over the mountain pass. However, since Koreans do not use often convey gender in writing and omit pronouns, the gender of the singer and one being sung to is not specified.
The US Army 7th Infantry Division’s (which is no longer activated) official march is Arirang. It is called the New Arirang March and is arranged in a typical American-style march. The South Korean government selected Arirang as the 7th Infantry Division’s official march for its service in the Korean War.
Also, after hearing a version of Arirang in Korea in the late 1950s, John Barnes Chance, an American composer, arranged his 1967 concert band composition Variations on a Korean Folk Song.
A recording of the standard version
A video
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