There were 12 sets of Pansori stories in the Joseon Dynasty and today, only five of the original 12 are being performed.

The story of Chun Hyang is one of the most popular items in the Pansori repertoire. This folktale, consists of many elements which appeal to men and women of all social status, and backgrounds. It also contained various allusions to classical Chinese texts and Confucian ideals: fidelity and virtue, and it is a romantic love story of two young lovers in conflict with a defiant man of power. The story of Chun Hyang included many contrasts: male and female, dominant and weak, bourgeois and proletariat, rich and poor. The dramatic structure of Chunhyang reveals a simple love story complicated by separation, longing, torment; it happily resolves all the described issues at some length in the songs.