[1][2] It is certain that akjang existed well before the Joseon dynasty period, but the works of ancient kingdoms were lost.
It is assumed by scholars that the first akjang could have been a song titled Dosolga (도솔가, 兜率歌), from 28 AD.
[1] In the Goryeo period, original akjang were composed to court music, or folk songs were adapted, but these works did not survive.
Thus what usually akjang refers to in its surviving form is lyrics accompanying early Joseon court music.
The words are completely deprived of emotions, and focus on praising the rulers and ethical statements of Confucianism, therefore it is considered to be a didactic form of art.