Many of us are familiar with the music genre known as K-Pop and the popular groups that accompany it such as BTS and BlackPink. However, the origins of the renowned and popular genre of K-Pop were influenced by what is considered as the "Two Pillars of K-Pop". The first pillar being trot music, Korean’s form of folk music, and the second pillar being rock music.
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The Origin and The Godfather of Rock
Korean rock originated in the late 1950s with the emergence of Shin Joong-Hyun and his band. Many would consider him as Korea’s “Godfather of Rock” for being the pioneer of Korean rock music.
Shin Joong Hyun ("The Godfather of Rock")
Shin Joong Hyun & The Men - Beautiful Rivers and Mountains
Korean rock acquired its fame from strong American influences mainly because many American troops would be stationed in Korea because of the Korean War, and they would listen to Korean rock bands perform for them. Also, American troops would likely favor Korean rock music because they already have a strong preference for rock music back in the United States. Most early Korean rock bands, like Shin Joong-Hyun rose to fame when they performed for American troops in clubs that were near the army base.
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From Censorship to Democratization
As time progressed during the 1950s to 1970s, Korean rock achieved even more fame, however, the government started to apply stricter censors on Korean music, because its subculture was viewed to be a depraved youth culture that should be restricted. During this period, the productions of Korean rock music were slowed, but not ceased, and rock music flourished as a mainstream genre again in the early 90s with the democratization of the country by the presidency of Roh Tae Woo.
Former President of South Korea Roh Tae Woo
South Korean Flag
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College Involvement
During the 1970s and 1980s, the numerous student protests against Korean Government took place particularly on college campuses. Korean Rock were implemented as an outlet during the time of political turmoil. In fact, many rock groups that included campus students emerged during this period, such as the notable band, Sanulrim. Norae Undong was a variation of Korean Rock that incorporated lyrics that were both politically and socially aware.
Sanulrim/Sanullim/San Ul Lim/(Hangul: 산울림)
San Ul Lim - It Was Probably Late Summer
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The 90s to the Early 2000s
As rock music was being revived in the early 1990s due to the democratization of the country, many Korean youths were exposed to many popular foreign bands, which influenced them to form their own bands. The two earliest bands were Crying Nut and No Brain, in which "Chosun Punk", which were the new genres in a localized blend were introduced. The second wave of Korean Rock would continue to heavily emphasize heavy metal groups such as Crash, Seed, and Sad Legend. In the 2000s, television series were produced by Korean media outlets that covers rock music such as the Korean Broadcasting System and ArirangTV.
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The Creative Revival
As of today, Korean rock is not considered to be a main genre in South Korea’s music market. However, the genre still occupies a substantial amount of music consumption in South Korea. Korean Rock is actually undergoing a "Creative Revival" with the participation from groups like, Day6, N. Flying, The Rose, Julia Dream, Nell, Hyukoh, and Wetter. The majority of Korean Rock music today has also transitioned to be more of a soft rock concept to appeal more to the calm audience today as opposed to the heavy metal concept that was revered in the 90s.
Korean Rock still has relevance in Korean and foreign entertainment. One of the most important distinctions between K-Pop and Korean Rock is that Korean Rock tends to have much more autonomy when it comes to writing and producing their own music, as opposed to K-Pop groups having to perform music written by others the majority of the time. In my opinion, Korean Rock tends to be more genuine because the music is produced solely from their instruments and their voice and that expresses their authenticity.
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