Korean Rock / K-Rock

tagStarted 1962Peak 1977-2008Last big hit still activeFrom South KoreaSung in Korean

Located in 1 route

Korean rock spanning Shin Joong-hyun's 1970s fuzz psychedelia, Sanullim's garage-rock, Boohwal's soaring power ballads and the 1990s Hongdae indie/punk surge. Ranges from raw psych-rock to polished alternative and stadium anthems, marked by melodic lyricism, frequent ballad crossovers and a scrappy underground.

History

Shin Joong-hyun, the 'Godfather of Korean Rock', grew the scene from 1960s US-base gigs; a 1975 government drug crackdown silenced him. Sanullim's 1977 debut and Boohwal's 1980s ballad-rock revived it. The mid-1990s Hongdae district sparked an indie/punk wave (Crying Nut), while YB, Jaurim and Nell carried polished alt-rock onward.

Defining artists

Shin Joong-hyunSpotify YouTube
SanullimSpotify YouTube
BoohwalSpotify YouTube
Crying NutSpotify YouTube
YBSpotify YouTube
NellSpotify YouTube

Essential listening

Beautiful Rivers and Mountains — Shin Joong-hyunSpotify YouTube
Already Now (Ani Beolsseo) — SanullimSpotify YouTube
Never Ending Story — BoohwalSpotify YouTube
Speed Up Losers (Malttukja) — Crying NutSpotify YouTube
Arirang — YBSpotify YouTube
Stay — NellSpotify YouTube

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Sources

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sanulrim
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boohwal
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crying_Nut
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shin_Joong-hyun