[1] The troupe was considered the lowest class in society along with cheonmin (vulgar commoners) or baekjeong (butchers), so that very few historical documents remain on them.

However, since a record that a puppet show was performed during the Silla period (57 BCE – 935 CE) has been found, it is assumed that similar types of itinerant companies appeared in Korean history a long time ago.

[4] During the late Joseon Dynasty, there were several namsadang, but the one whose base was set in Cheongryongsa temple (청룡사) in Anseong, Gyeonggi Province was the most famous.

[1][5] They became called namsadang because the troupe were composed of only men and "nam" (남, 男) means a male in Korean.

[7] On December 7, 1964, the South Korean government designated deolmi (puppet play) as the third Important Intangible Cultural Property.

Underneath there were tteunsoe (뜬쇠 [t͈ɯːnsʰwe]), gayeol (가열 [kajʌl]), ppiri (삐리 [p͈iɾi]), jeoseungpae (저승패 [tɕʌsʰɯŋpʰɛ]), and deungjimkkun (등짐꾼 [tɯŋdʑimk͈un]).

Because entertainers like singers or actors were often despised in that age, the troupe recruited its members among the orphans, poor farmers` children and sometimes even through kidnapping.

[1][3] The troupe may have functioned as a homosexual community, with each member taking the role of Sutdongmo, "butch", or Yodongmo, "queen".

Performers spin and toss the beona into the air by using a tobacco pipe or a long wooden stick while exchanging witty talks with a clown called maehossi (매호씨) or sorikkun (소리꾼).

The performer executes various acrobatic feats called "gondu" (곤두) while exchanging humorous banter with a maehossi (clown).

The performer or eoreum-sani dances, sings songs, and does aerial stunts on the rope which is tightly fastened 3 meters off the ground.

In addition, the puppetry is called "bakcheomji noreum" (박첨지놀음) and "hongdongji nori" (홍동지놀이), all of which are named after the main characters in the play.

[12] In Korea, puppet plays appeared first in the early age of the Silla period (BC 57 – 935 AD).

[14] Probably the most famous and eminent person ever in the history of namsadang is Baudeogi[2] Her real name is Kim Amdeok (김암덕).

In 1865, Heungseon Daewongun, the regency called in her troupe to court and had them cheer workers who engaged in constructing a new palace.