On November 6, 2007 The Korea Society hosted a lecture titled "The Case of Arirang: How the Anthem of Korean Resistance Became a Japanese Pop Hit" by E. Taylor Atkins, associate professor of history at Northern Illinois University. Atkins discussed the unique role of the quintessentially Korean folk song "Arirang" during the period of Japanese occupation. He noted how Koreans came to associate this traditional song, which sings of loss and travail, with self-affirmation amidst Japanese brutality. Japanese songsmiths learned "Arirang" from Koreans and, ignoring the strident anti-Japanese lyrics of some versions, transformed it into a pop song played throughout the empire.