It was during the 1970s that punk music first made an impression in Western countries. Bands such as the Sex Pistols, The Damned and the Buzzcocks securing high chart positions in the UK. The music, as well as the fashion, became a trend throughout the Western world and still exists in various forms today.
Considering the amount of Western influences within East Asia, it's surprising that punk reached Korea as late as it did. While Korea is considered a very conservative society, who possibly weren't ready for the punk fashion and ideologies at the height of punk It wasn't until the 1990s that the first punk bands began to emerge within Korea, with the help of Drug Records' club, Drug Live Hall, near Hongik University. The local youths, fascinated by the influx of this "new" genre of music, were engrossed and quickly started to form their own bands with some level of success. Bands such as No Brain and Crying Nut were some of the first to emerge (the former often being credited as the first punk band in Korea). Despite this growth there was still one major problem, how to get their music released to a wider audience. This is where Skunk Label comes in.
While No Brain formed Cujo Entertainement, Skunk Label was created by Won Jonghee (also vocalist for the band Rux) in July 1998 and the bands Rux, G.A.S. and Song-ji-wook were signed. At the time the label wasn't registered and the market was still a niche one, so publicity was scarce and relied on hard slog from the bands themselves as well as word of mouth from people who had been to see their live shows.
A month later the compilation tape Our Minds Are All The Same was released with only 100 copies made available. The compilation was later released on CD in greater quantity. This was shortly followed by the first full-length album released through the label, Gum's Bogus Punk Circle.
In 1999, the label was forced to go on hiatus due to Won Jonghee having to complete his military service, a fact that has halted the activities of many bands over the years.
In 2002, the record label found a whole new way to promote the music that they love so much. The original punk club, Drug, was waning in popularity due to the club only agreeing to showcase bands on its own label. So, in 2004, the club was sold to Won Jongheeand Skunk Hell was born.
In the same year, thanks to Skunk Label, Korean punk was given a boost on the international stage with the release of the compilation We Are The Punx In Korea. The aim of the compilation was to promote Korean punk abroad and it did just that with the help of the Dutch company Tocado Records. The 30 track compilation was quickly circulated and became an underground hit in the West, giving the first major exposure to bands such as Rux, Suck Stuff and Samchung.
Currently, the label and affiliated club continue to grow in influence and popularity and looks to continue that way for the foreseeable future. Skunk Hell is constantly hosting shows from Korean punk bands, giving the youth of Korea a chance to express themselves in a way that wouldn't have been possible 10 or 15 years ago and Skunk Label is signing more and more promising new artists all the time. In 2006, the label signed all female punk band Shorty Cat, a brave and groundbreaking move in a still predominately male scene.
Won Jonghee proclaimed at the opening of Skunk Hell, "We want to start our own history" and it would appear that they have done just that.
