Korean Punk

This is just a short post, and again features fairly little about what I'm up to, as it's largely the same thing as it was last time I posted, and will be for the next 16 months or so. It might however be of some interest to some people.

It's not often that I get to dip my head under the surface of Korean mainstream culture. I'm making this comment with a degree of ignorance, but there doesn't seem to be the same depth of alternative and sub-cultures as there is in the UK; at the very least they don't have the same pervasive influence on the mainstream as indie and rock culture. Still, such cultures do exist, and when I got sent an advert for a show about a fictional North Korean punk hero it seemed like it was worth going to take a look.

Flyer

The gig was part of an exhibition which imagined "What if there was a punk rock club in Pyongyang?" and tracked the possible rise and fall of its hero, Rhee Sung Woong. It featured four bands, but sadly I only got to see three of them.

I walked in to hear the sounds of a guitar, drums and Korean traditional percussion being mangled underneath a wall of shrieking. Almost exactly what I wanted to hear actually - but a little surprising to actually discover. Not knowing all that much about punk I can't really tell you who they sound like, or even if they do sound like anyone else. They certainly didn't look like anyone else I've ever seen, as peering over the heads of the crowd I could dimly ascertain what seemed to be two haystacks with instruments playing in a tent. Fortunately, someone with a better camera than I was at the gig - check out daehanmindecline's excellent photos of all of the bands.  It just leaves me to show you what Mookiemookiemanmansu, for that is their name, sound like:

Next up were Pavlov, who I thought were just a bit too needy for my tastes, but I think that the gaggles of young girls at the front may have been more the target audience. A word of advice to the singer though - if you're not Steven Tyler you shouldn't really be taking your shirt off, and it might be better to leave the crotch dampening to said gaggles:

And the final band that I got to see were probably my favourite of the evening. Named Paryumchiakdan, they had a Western indie-ish sound that was still firmly rooted in Korean traditional music, especially Trot. They also looked like a proper indie outfit - floppy haired keyboard player with excellent economy of movement, moody girl on bass and a drummer convinced he was the coolest man in the room. The singer was the real star though, with a great voice and awesome presence. I'd actually make an effort to see these guys again:

After that I left, partly because I didn't realize that the final band hadn't played yet, and partly because the poncy pizza restaurant my language exchange partner (who had dutifully accompanied me) wanted to go to was closing. Perhaps not my punkest exit ever, but never mind. I'll leave you with a parting gift, a video of some real North Korean musical footage that was being played at the exhibition.:

I'll keep you up to date with any further musical adventures soon.

Until then,

A

A walk around my 'hood

As I've already mentioned on here, there's been a bit of a change in my surroundings recently - a change for the more urban to say the least. I've spent many a megabyte cataloging some of the more beautiful parts of korea on this blog, so I thought for this post, I'd show of one of the less scenic locations - Siheung City's Jeongwang-dong.

One of my colleagues, upon looking out of her 18th floor window at endless batteries of apartments, remarked that "It all looks like it's been copy-pasted." She was right too, and not just in Jeongwang, but all over Korea. One of the things that I enjoy about London is the diversity of its architecture. Korea of course doesn't have the advantage of historic buildings, being a very recently developed country, and having had almost everything historic flattened in the Korean war. Even so, modern buildings are not so much function over form, as built to be as ugly as possible, though this may be a cultural thing I'm missing.

However, looking into wider Korean culture it becomes clear how important image and appearance is here. I don't know if there's ever been a study done, but I'd be willing to bet that korea has one if the highest mirrors per person figures in the world, and you only need to pop into a korean restaurant to see how well food is presented here. Another confusing point is that most of my students are excellent and creative artists. Maybe it gets drummed out of them in architect school. Whatever happens, urban korea can be a pretty miserable place sometimes, and I wonder if it's urban centers have anything to do with the fact that South Korea often ranks among the unhappiest countries on earth. I'm sure that having some of the longest working hours on earth is a pretty big factor, but doing it in some of the least inspiring buildings on earth can't help either.

As a language teacher you come to learn that showing is often better than telling, so without further ado, I present a walk through Jeongwang-dong from my university to the subway station:

 We start with a walk through campus, past the 6-a-side pitch...

...and the climbing wall.

 Casting a glance back at the Techno Innovation 'Park' (TIP, where I live work, work out, shop, eat etc.). My room is on the right hand side of the top floor as you look at it in this photo.

There is an attempt to put some green on campus... 

...but the buildings are still pretty horrible.

Leaving university grounds, we head into the entertainments district. 

At night, this is all neon. 

Two staples of Korean urban nightlife, the barbecue restaurant... 

...and the chicken and beer shop. 

 See, this says 'pub' but I guarantee you'll rarely have been in less pub-like places.

My unofficial study suggests that there are three mobile phone stores for every person in Korea. 

Following his banning from the USA, Pororo fell on hard times.

 Looking back through the entertainment district.

 And around from on the bridge.

 Inspiring, huh?

 An attempt to tip the scales?

... 

... 

...

The local high school. 

 ...

And finally, the subway station.

The strange thing is, I'm feeling remarkably positive about my new living situation, and life in general. It's always tough changing teaching contexts, and getting used to new students, guidelines and routines, but I'm definitely feeling more like I've cracked it recently. My Korean's improving since I moved to the big city too - turns out there's more people to talk to here - who knew? I might also be flexing some old indie muscles occasionally: I'm going to see a story about a mythical North Korean punk rock icon performed by SK punk bands on Friday - I have no idea what to expect, but may try to report back sometime soon.

Until then,

A