'IMF 외환위기 시 한국 펑크 록 노랫말의 분노 표출 양상 연구' 를 읽고

[논문] 'IMF 외환위기 시 한국 펑크 록 노랫말의 분노 표출 양상 연구_강민구'
#IMF #외환위기 #펑크

🎙️ [English Version of the Script]

Hello, and welcome to Reborn's Room.
Today, I’d like to talk with you about “The Era and Myself” and “Popular Music and Society.”

In 1997, South Korea faced a time of great change.
The shadow of an economic crisis loomed heavily, and across society, we experienced profound shock.
At that time, many people had to face uncertainty and fear about the future, rather than hope and excitement.

Looking back, I realize that during those years, I hardly had the time or space to find comfort in music or culture.
I lived each day, simply and quietly, trying to endure.
However, now that I have returned to my studies, I have come to realize something important:
The people were never truly silent.
Through a genre called punk rock, they gave voice to their anger, their despair, and their deep longing to overcome.

Today, I would like to introduce a research paper titled,
"A Study on the Expression of Anger in the Lyrics of Korean Punk Rock during the IMF Financial Crisis,"
written by Kang Min-gu.
This paper analyzes how the lyrics of Crying Nut and No Brain captured the anger and solidarity of the young generation at that time.

In the late 1990s, Korean punk rock went beyond mere expressions of anger.
It carried a spirit of struggle and solidarity, urging people to "fight together" and "run together."
In particular, Crying Nut’s song "Run Horse" calls out to "the friend hiding over there,"
encouraging not individual, but collective action.
This shows a form of resistance unique to Korean youth — quite different from the helpless resignation often seen in British punk rock of the same era.

However, on the other hand,
the anger expressed in Korean punk rock sometimes lacked a clear target.
Unlike protest songs, which identified specific oppressors and fought against them,
the punk rock of 1997 had to grapple with something far more ambiguous:
the invisible structure of capitalism itself.
As a result, their songs sometimes ended in self-destruction or desperate cries, without offering clear alternatives.

Reflecting on the voices of those who lived through that era,
I realize once again:
We are not just consumers of culture.
We are creators of culture,
and voices that represent our times.

Through dedicated learning and sincere research,
I, too, hope to become a small but meaningful voice of this era.

Before we close,
how about listening to Crying Nut’s "Run Horse" and running forward with new energy?

This was today’s story from Reborn's Room.
Thank you for listening.