There is a lot of bullshit going around about Korean punk, so I¡¯d like to take the time and clear some of it up for all the reporters out there. This is your helpful guide to the Korean punk scene.

Hongdae has always been the center for underground activity in Korea, ever since the Korean War when it was controlled by North Korean sympathisers. Until recently it was known for anti-American activity, and it was dangerous to have white skin in Hongdae. Recently thanks to gentrification it¡¯s much safer, although it still has the highest per capita of North Korean spies in all of South Korea.

What looks like one of many subcultural scenes spread across Hongdae, is actually a complex family structure filled with family relations and pacts written in blood. Outsiders are accepted with suspicion, and insiders are forbidden from leaving before the age of 30. These punks stand united against a country of conformism.

The Confucian culture of Korea is hardly ready to accept kids with mohawks, tattoos, or studded leather jackets. What¡¯s worse, the initiation process chases away the weak-hearted and -kneed.

To become a member of the Skunx Army, one has to endure a painful process of amputation and alcohol. The new initiate is given all the free alcohol he can keep down until he is numb enough to begin. Then his left shoe and sock are removed, and a pair of bolt cutters is used to remove his pinky toe. If he cries, a second toe is removed from the same foot. It is a brutal ritual that thankfully foreigners and girls do not have to endure. This tradition began as early as 1974 during the first wave of Korean rock known today as Yushin Rock.

The history of punk is short in Korea due to the political chaos of the ¡®80s. The first punk club, Kaekoora Live Hall, was closed down by President Chun Doo-Hwan in 1986 in an attempt to clean up the city in preparation for the 1988 Summer Olympics. It was not until 1993 that punk reappeared, with the opening of Drug Live Hall in Hongdae.

The regulations on live music were strict at a time as a result of the new president, so in order for Drug to stay open it had to officially register as a church. Now free to worship as they saw itt, it was time to rock. The first star of this new punk scene was Seo Taiji, a rock god who channelled musical greats like Sid Vicious. But he was too wild, and after the Drug owner walked in to find a full-fledged orgy going during one of the shows, with people fully going at it on stage, Seo was shown the door.

After that fateful night, two young new bands started up. They named themselves Crying Nut and No Brain after the events of Seo¡¯s departure. No Brain later transformed into a rap-rock band and found a new label, and Crying Nut remained the flagship band of Drug until 2002, when they enlisted in the army. They were stationed in North Korea, where they spent most of their time teaching Chosun teenagers how to shred. After two years living on this exchange program, they were welcomed back to South Korea.

Meanwhile, the ownership of Drug switched hands. In a high-stakes poker game, Drug¡¯s owner lost the venue, as well as his car and his pit bull Sukie, to Won Jonghee, a professional gambler with a small fortune in winnings. The club was reopened as the church of Skunk Hell.

For the first few months, Skunk Hell couldn¡¯t put on shows, as there were no bands to play. Instead, they held seminars, taught lessons in muay thai kickboxing, and offered a variety of psychological exams. Won was able to select the best students as his first bandmates, and he started his first band, the pogo-punk legends known as Spiky Brats.

Thus began the golden age of punk. Word travelled underground about shows thanks mostly to the Internet, and smaller Skunk Hells opened up across the country - another in Gangnam in southern Seoul, one in Busan, one in Daejeon, and one in Cheongju.

In August of 2005, the punk band Rux was invited to appear on the TV music show Music Camp. It ended badly when two of the Korean punks took off their clothes and flashed the audience. It ended with their arrest, and all punk bands were banned from TV. All the other Skunk Hells across the country closed down except for the main one in Hongdae.

After that incident, Won Jonghee had an increasing number of critics. One such critic was Yoo Chulhwan, the lead singer of Suck Stuff and manager of rival label BPJC who thought he would be a better promoter. The two of them had a shouting match one day about how to run Skunk Hell. It ended with Won agreeing to let Yoo take over, and to this day there¡¯s an uneasy truce in their cutthroat rivalry.

Today, Skunk Hell is run with Yoo Sajang at the helm, a title he demands from anyone addressing him. There is a show every Saturday night, as well as the occasional Friday or Sunday show. There is also a show every Wednesday night where only Koreans with their toe severed are allowed to enter. I personally have never seen one, but from what I can hear standing outside they tend to be more informal jam sessions with musicians from many different bands. Bands are usually paid for performing in things other than money, usually some kind of goods that can be sold easily in Dongdaemoon or another market. It is not uncommon to be paid for opening a show with an old battered scooter and a pot of sardines. The bands take what they can get and resell what they don¡¯t keep. Korean Punk for Dummies Chansung from the Explode can¡¯t remember the lyrics for any of his songs, so he writes them on his body. Another new recruit is welcomed to the Church of Skunk Hell.