This category is for singers holding the nationality of undivided Korea. In general this means people who sang during Korea under Japanese rule (1910–1945), the Korean Empire (1897–1910), the Joseon Dynasty (1392–1897), or preceding time periods.

People of the Korean peninsula who sang after 1948 normally do not belong in this category, but should be placed in the subcategories Category:North Korean singers or Category:South Korean singers based on their nationality, place of origin, or place of residence. However, Korean people living abroad who never had any national affiliation with either North or South Korea (such as Koreans in Japan who never declared a change of nationality from Chōsen-seki), or whose nationality is not publicly known, should remain in this category. Common sense should be used to determine whether people who sang between 1945 to 1948 belong in this category rather than North or South Korean subcategories.