One indicator of a healthy scene is its zines. A scene is made up of more than just musicians. It’s a space where different people come together bringing their own unique skills and interests: artist making flyers, graffiti, buttons, or patches, photographers taking photos or making videos, kids starting labels, running distros, making DIY clothing, or putting on shows. A healthy scene is a community made up of all of these and more—kids finding a way to participate and express themselves rather than just standing around as passive consumers. That brings us back to zines: whether they are personal or political, music or art, they tell us more about our community than a $20 band T-shirt. Fortunately Korea isn’t lacking in this regard, with a few good ones out now and more in the works. Here is a brief look at what’s on offer.

Reality – Fit For Photocopying
May 2005
http://www.wwoott.wo.to/
snotty80 at netzan dot com
Language: Art
I have been looking for art zines (or literature zines) in Korea, and I’m sure they’re out there, but I haven’t had a whole lot of success. So I guess I wasn’t really surprised when I did find one and discovered that it was made by Suckz; if it’s related to zines he’s got his ink-stained fingers on it. Reality is 20 pages of black-and-white photocopied art, which I assume was all done by Suckz, but I’m not completely sure. It’s made up almost completely of drawings with a few picture and collage stuff but nothing too cheesy. The subject matter ranges from punk-related doodles to political: anti-sexist, animal liberation, anti-fascist themes. Some of the pieces I’m still trying to figure out, or maybe I should just enjoy them or maybe that’s the point; somewhere between sketches and art school projects this zine is worth taking the time to look at. Art zines can get old but it’s always nice to have a couple around. Maybe other Korean artist will take Suckz’ queue—walk to the nearest photocopier and DESTROY!

Star Search Hardcore Fanzine
Spring 2004
Language: Korean
I received a copy of this zine with my last order from ZipGooSuck. I had never heard of it before but was put together by Hwang Kyuseok, owner of Townhall Records. The format is basic—just columns of text with barely a picture or comic in sight, which is kind of strange considering that the opening article is all about comics. That part was written by Kim Lagyung who, according to Suckz, is “maybe ‘The Patience’ singer who is now into Korean comics.” I wonder if this is the kid behind the Geeks record release show comic that I saw? That was good stuff. Anyway, onto the rest of the zine: there are playlists from some different kids in the scene along with an Unleashed Anger interview. The last three pages are reviews and scene news. Not really a whole lot here but it’s a good start. He says more in his reviews than the other Korean zines do and the scene news is nice if too short. All in all it’s not a bad read. He ends with a promise that I want to hold him to: to make the next edition of Star Search more attractive than the first. Good Luck, Kyuseok, we’ll be waiting for it!

Faithful Youth
Issue 1.5, winter to spring 2005
Screamo27 at hotmail dot com
http://faithfulxyouth.wo.to/
Language: Korean
I picked up Faithful Youth at a show where the zinester was handing out copies for free. It’s a short half-size zine filled with printed and handwritten text, no photos and very little artwork. It has interviews with Hell This Time and Things We Say, along with album/zine/show reviews. When I first finished it I wanted more, but then I started to like the fact that it was short and that it was done by one kid who did everything himself, up to the point of handing out copies for free. That’s the kind of DIY passion and commitment that says, “It doesn’t have to be long, it doesn’t have to be perfect— I just have to do it!” Our scene could always use more people like this!

GooSok Gooseok
Issue 9, summer 2004
snotty80 at netzan dot com
Language: Korean
As far as I know “GooSok Gooseok” is the oldest and longest-running fanzine in Korea. It’s put out by Suckz from Kangwon Province. On the pages you can seehis dedication to international DIY and grind-core scenes. It must also be the most internationally spread zine in Korea as I keep bumping into it everywhere I look. On a recent trip to Japan, I found it prominently displayed in DIY Records and on offer at Wasabi Distro. It even came up in a conversation with a kid from Malaysia! The March 2005 issue is by far the best looking Korean zine I have seen! This issue is rather short, only 12 pages, but packed full of great drawing and even a few photos by xZUSTx. The zine itself is a mix of computer-formatted, cut-n-paste, and hand-written pages. The fact that it’s black-and-white photocopied with a staple in the corner and even the self-effacing disclaimer “clumsy layout for sure” only proves the point that good layout and well-done artwork really do make a zine. Of course the writing helps too; there is an interview with Victor that discuses his many roles as musician, zinester and button producer, an article on punk ethics and two more looking at fashion within the DIY punk scene. The whole thing is rounded out with a page of music/ zine reviews and a back cover art and lyrics collage inspired by the band JFA. In my opinion GooSok Gooseok is the most developed zine in Korea and at issue number eleven it’s easy to see that Suckz is dedicated to what he does. If you read Korean, or are even just trying to learn, this is a zine you should give a try!

Red Flag
Spring 2004
Language: Korean
Red Flag was a zine put out by Skunk Label. This was the first and only edition that they did. With a color cover and glossy pages, it’s much more upscale than most zines, giving it a feel more like a traditional magazine (as well as a high printing cost). However, some pages were printed at the wrong resolution and are nearly impossible to read. The articles focus mostly on Skunk-related items: interviews with Couch, RUX and Spiky Brats, some Korean punk history and even a bilingual review of a Skunk/ GMC show, written by Broke editor Jon Twitch. When I got my copy, it also came with a burned CD containing some Skunk music videos. I’ve lost that CD somewhere, but I’m pretty sure they’re the same ones you can download from the Skunk site. Red Flag is pretty typical for a punk zine, but holds a lot of sentimental value for me because it was this zine that I pored over with my dictionary while learning Korean.

Break The Shell
http://blog.daum.net/h2k1977
Language: Korean
Break The Shell is a neatly done cut-n-paste zine with plenty of photos that focuses on the hardcore scene. It’s put out by Victor Ha, lead singer for Things We Say. He made and released issue number one while living in Canada, and the second issue was done in Korea. In each issue he interviews two Korean bands and two foreign bands. There are also a few record reviews, a comic, and a list of five all-time favorite hardcore albums. That part is particularly neat because he asked other kids in the scene, Kiseok and Jun from the Geeks, Kyuseok from Townhall Records and Suckz from Faded Home Records, to list their favorites. The other part about BTS that I like is the inclusion of a photo page that features headshots of hardcore vocalists. Just I wonder why are they all vocalists? Does Victor have something against guitarists and drummers? Overall BTS is a quality hardcore zine and a valuable contribution to the Korean scene.