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95 Jae Kim, who has been following the scene for eight years, believes punk will never catch on. Mainstream Korea thinks it’s “wrong” to be different, and that’s why you “only see idol bands on TV.” “Other people, young students or others out of the scene, they don’t have a chance to experience (this mu- sic),” Kim says. “They don’t know how, or they don’t have the chance. It’s not really open.” Kim only found out when she wandered into Spot and then got a job there. “You walk around the streets, there’s only K-pop,” says Jang Sung-gun, 27, drummer for four different bands. “Every minute you hear another K-pop song, a different K-pop song, which is really disturbing. And after work, when you party with your friends, friends who are not in the punk scene, they go to the karaoke.” Jang says Korean pressure to conform is still power- ful and it can “definitely” be very difficult to be different. “But I’m kind of used to it. I’ve been into this music for 15 years,” he says. So how does he deal with it? “I just ignore it. Isn’t it the same all around the world? I think so.” Moses says he has never felt more comfortable and more at home in a scene than here. “All the bullshit and divisiveness aside, for the past six, seven years, everyone’s been saying, ‘the punk scene is dying, the punk scene is dying,’ and it hasn’t,” he says. He feels Korea is ripe for more punk kids, given how aw- ful life for a young person can be here. “If Korean kids ever realize how bad they have it, how pissed off they should be, this scene would explode,” he says. “If there’s a country that needs punk rock, it’s Korea.” While small, the scene is very accepting, especial- ly among foreigners, Sean says. “You see a new face, you always want to say hello, make sure it’s comfortable. The Koreans are always nothing but respectful and kind. They’re always among the first to talk to you after a show and say, ‘Hey great, job,’ even if they’re being insincere. Insincerity is a great trait in a fan.” Yang has put her time, effort and 20s into punk because she believes punks are more mentally connected. The punks are filling in what they want, what they can’t get from the rest of the culture, or K-pop. “This place is like my other home,” she says. “This is the only place where I can say what I want, where I can be myself.” Heimlich county gun club pray to punk fuTure of punK More info j Club Spot will host “Still Alive,” Seoul’s original punk rock Halloween costume party, before closing its doors. When: Oct. 25, 6 p.m.-2 a.m. Where: Club Spot Address: Seoul, Mapo-gu, Seogyo-dong 358-34, floor B1 How much: 10,000 won with costume, 15,000 won without; includes 1 hour of unlimited free cocktails