Hongdae
In my video ‘Let’s talk about Hongdae’, I mention that Hongdae was the center of Korea’s indie music scene in the ’90s. The punk rock genre, in particular, grew up in Hongdae. Among the bands who played in the area and went on to have some success, the two most well known are Crying Nut and No Brain. They made their names and found their following at a bar called Drug.
Additional Resources
An Introduction to Korean Punk History
Julian Earl’s article for Platform, ‘A Very Brief History of Korean Punk’, serves as a great introduction to that era and its evolution. Well worth the read.
Drug was a dive bar and it was falling apart in the most literal way. Here, bands now regarded as being the forefathers of "Chosun Punk" were beginning to make the sound of an outcast generation. Crying Nut and No Brain are two of these bands who, in 1994, were bringing loud, youthful, anger-filled sounds to a slowly growing scene of school uniform-wearing, troubled kids. Together, they would drink, smoke and fight against their common enemy: the oppressive, conservative culture of South Korea.
iGoBart
iGoBart is a YouTube channel hosted by Bart van Genugten, a Dutchman dedicated to exploring each of Seoul’s ‘dongs’ or neighborhoods. Though there’s no actual ‘Hongdae-dong’, his video ‘Hongdae is always Better yesterday’ dives into the area’s history. Having lived there for several years, Bart draws on his connections to share insights into the area’s development, the university for which it's named, and anecdotes from the ’90s music scene.