There are countless versions of each region. According to UNESCO, the number of folk songs handed down under the title of 'Arirang' is estimated to reach about 60 types and 3,600 songs. Among them, Jeongseon Arirang in Gangwon-do is the oldest, and the best-known version is Gyeonggi-do Arirang, especially Gyeonggi-do Arirang, which was used as the theme song for the movie "Arirang". When asked to sing Arirang, most of the Arirang I usually sing is Gyeonggi Arirang, and most of the Arirang I think of is Gyeonggi Arirang. However, strictly speaking with Gyeonggi Arirang, it is not a folk song because it is a fusion creative Korean music.

In addition, Jindo, Gangwon, and Miryang Arirang, which are encountered in school, are often familiar with the melody of the chorus, even though they do not know the lyrics.

Arirang, which we commonly know, generally contains sad and sad contents, but in fact, Arirang was not originally such a sad song. Jeongseon Arari, a local folk song that had been handed down in Jeongseon, Gangwon-do, spread to Gyeonggi-do after the Gyeongbokgung Palace reconstruction, and became Gyeonggi Gin Arirang and Gyeonggi Jajin Arirang, which singers sing in entertainment areas and amusement parks. Words such as "You are leaving me behind" and "I am going over Arirang Pass" were also hypothetical farewells, not lyrics that were assumed to boost excitement at the entertainment court.

However, the image of Arirang changed as Gyeonggi Arirang, the theme song of the movie "Arirang", which was composed based on this Arirang, was widely spread. In accordance with the sad plot of the movie, this song Arirang was also built as a Korean song by reinterpreting the lyrics of existing folk songs, and the theme song, Gyeonggi Arirang, was also spread as the movie "Arirang" became a nationwide hit.

Representatives of Arirang in Korea include Kim Yeon-gap, chairman of the Hankyoreh Arirang Association, and Jeong Eun-ha, late Master Ahn Bi-chwi, late Master Lee Chang-bae, chairman of the National Arirang Performance Arts Association, chairman of the Yeongnam Minyo Arirang Preservation Association.

In Korea, Arirang is often treated like the 'second country', such as the British Rule Britannia and the imposing march. Arirang is a representative cheering song for the Korean national soccer team. For example, there are many cases where Arirang is sung instead because a unified Korean team cannot sing the two countries' national anthem at a sports game. There is also an opinion that if there is a unified Korea, it should be designated as a new country.

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