In 2005, a broadcasting incident involving the South Korean indie punk band Couch marked the beginning of a dark age for Korean rock. However, Korean rock slowly saw a revival in 2020 with significant achievements, such as the 2023 Pentaport Rock Festival and the psychedelic rock band SilicaGel’s recognition at the 2023 Melon Music Awards (MMA) in December 2023. Explore the resurrection of Korean rock with the Sungkyun Times (SKT).
[The Emergence and Comedown of Korean Rock]
- The Origin of Rock Music
Rock is a music genre born from the fusion of country music, rhythm and blues (R&B), and soul music, which often expresses messages of resistance and rebellion. Rock music gained mainstream recognition with the emergence of the world’s first rock star, Elvis Presley. Subsequently, American rock music and culture were transmitted to South Korea through live clubs, commonly known as bam-mudae (night stage), around American military bases. Shin Joong- hyeon, the pioneer of Korean rock, also began his music career in a bam-mudae. He formed Korea’s first rock band, Add4, and released the album Women in the Rain in 1964. The consistent development of legendary Korean rock bands such as Sanulrim and Deulgukhwa holds significant implications. The success of these bands marked the golden age of Korean rock in the 1970s.
- The Great Rock Depression
After this brief golden age, Korean rock faced the dark ages in the 1980s due to the military regime that imposed regulations on music. After decades, members of the bands Couch and Spiky Brats unexpectedly stripped their clothes off during a live broadcast show on television in 2005. This problematic scene spread widely through a live broadcast on MBC Music Camp, further exacerbating the negative view of rock music. As a result, the younger generation turned to hip-hop music, deprived of the opportunity to consume “rebellious” rock music through television. Additionally, the development of the K-pop industry further marginalized the position of rock in the contemporary mainstream music market. Lee In-sook, a former Professor of Modern Music Couch Incident Broadcasted Live on MBC at Suseong University, told the SKT, “Rock bands require equipment that necessitates meticulous sound checks, which makes rock bands an economically challenging business to maximize the profit from performances.”
[Revival of Rock and Roll]
- Face-Heel Turn
Amidst its dark times, the Korean rock scene ironically found a platform for resurrection from hip-hop music, which had taken away many rock fans. In the late 2010s, stars such as XXXTentacion emerged in the American hip-hop scene, actively incorporating rock influences into their albums. They introduced a sound that drew inspiration from pop-punk and emo-rock, among other rock subgenres, characterized by catchier choruses and emphasized guitar sounds. These American hip-hop stars also showcased rock culture in their music videos and fashion styles. The influence towards Korea led to the experimental genre trend combining emo-rock gaining momentum, with the Korean rapper C Jamm’s album KEUNG released in 2019. Hwang Doo-ha, a critic from the Korean hip-hop magazine Rhythmer, commented, “After the release of KEUNG, it was evident that quite a few artists were trying to emulate C Jamm’s style,” highlighting the impact of this experimental genre on the broader landscape of the Korean music industry.
- Rock and Y2K
The trend of Y2K, as well as hip-hop, also contributed to the revival of rock in Korea. The Y2K style returned after 20 years to represent the perplex lifestyle of the late 1990s and early 2000s. Naturally, pop-punk singers who were emblematic in that era, such as Avril Lavigne, have once again resonated with the public. In 2022, news related to the When We Were Young American emo-pop-punk festival gained the top spot on the Billboard Trending chart. The rock boom under the influence of Y2K also created new waves in various music genres. The K-pop group Tomorrow X Together (TXT) from the dominant K-pop agency HYBE successfully showcased the pop-punk sound by collaborating with the pop-punk rocker Mod Sun on the track titled 0X1=LOVESONG (I Know I Love You), released in 2021.
[Let Us Rock and Roll in Korea!]
Rock embodies the aesthetic of explosive youth resistance. The SKT introduces two places in Korea to experience tearing guitar sounds, pulsating bass, and drumbeats unfolding on the foundation of a band sound.
