Korean 'Mutant' publishes 260-page zine of crust punk adventures around world

The cover of "Mutant Rebellion," a zine by Baek Ryun / Courtesy of Baek Ryun

Three Japanese hardcore/crust punk bands — Zikade and Marvelous, both from Ashikaga, and Wage Slave, from Fukushima — are coming to Korea for a show this Saturday.

The show was made possible by — and is in celebration of — "Mutant Rebellion," a 260-page zine. It's the creation of a guy known in Korea as Baek Ryun, but overseas as Travis.

Travis has traveled extensively over a period of two years, visiting raw hardcore, D-beat, crust punk and noise punk scenes in various global cities. "Recently I traveled to six states in the U.S. for three months — New York, New Jersey, Texas, Nevada, Arizona and California — and now I am taking a break in Japan," he told The Korea Times. "I was not only in the U.S. but also in Japan for two months and in Europe (including Russia) for four months to make it."

He got the idea to release his own zine from a Japanese crust punk friend named Yoshiharu Sugawara, also known by the name HAL, who showed Travis his own magazine, "Damaging Instinct."

"After seeing it, I was so impressed that I thought I should make one myself," Travis said.

The book shares Travis' photos of his trips to the U.S., Japan and Europe, as well as graphic/layout design, plus interviews with the bands he's met and his personal thoughts on subculture and the punk scene.

"Since I was young, I have been listening to death metal/black metal/grindcore and other dark music genres. I am satisfied that it satisfies both the visual aspect as well as the musical aspect," he said.

"In Korea, no one wears crust pants or studjackets, and there are very few performances. That's why I often go abroad. Starting this year, I will make a raw noise punk band even if I have to do it alone."

His specific taste in music often takes him abroad in search of the sounds and the aesthetic he likes — as well as a community.

"I know people from the Korean punk scene, but I'm not very close with them — I feel left out," he said. "What I feel every time I go abroad is that even when I meet someone who likes hardcore/crust punk for the first time on the other side of the world, I feel as if I've known that person my whole life. It's hard to feel this kind of bond in Korea. This is just my personal opinion, but it seems that the Korean punk scene only communicates and becomes friendly with people who have been close to them for a long time in the scene. That is why I am closer to American, European, Thai and Japanese punks. I have friends who welcome me wherever I go in the world."

He said "Mutant Rebellion" will be sold in subculture stores in Korea, as well as New York, Los Angeles, Tokyo and Osaka, plus through underground labels in Italy and private shipping. It will also be available for purchase at the show this weekend.

The show starts this Saturday at 6 p.m. at Club SHARP in western Seoul's Mangwon-dong. They'll be joined by local acts K-Supermotel, Tom Tom Tom and Doguul. Tickets cost 20,000 won and are only available at the door. Visit @baekryun__prima on Instagram for more information.