Zine offers 'Totally Biased Guide to Korean Indie Music'

The "Totally Biased Guide to Korean Indie Music" / Courtesy of SUPERSONIC STUDIO

Korea's indie music scene is perpetually left struggling for recognition. It takes people like Maeng Joo-hee and Kim Yeong-jin to spread the word and raise its profile.

The couple operates SUPERSONIC STUDIO, through which they evangelize about Korea's music scene. This includes organizing live concerts and cultural exchange events, as well as zine-making events and publishing their own content to share personal stories about being part of this underrated creative community. They're holding release party on Thursday for their collaborative zine project, the "Totally Biased Guide to Korean Indie Music," created in partnership with Sojanggak, a Seoul-based design and publishing studio.

"Unlike the mainstream music industry, Korea's indie scene has grown around small live venues, where musicians and audiences can interact up close," Maeng said. "Festivals throughout the year also serve as important meeting grounds for the community. One of the best ways to understand the scene is simply by connecting with people who are already part of it."

The launch event for the 'Totally Biased Guide to Korean Indie Music' is one such opportunity, Maeng said, offering a space where Korean indie music fans can gather and discover new artists together.

The event will include a talk about the making of the zine and their dive into the indie scene, followed by a Q&A session and networking time. The talk and the zine are both in English.

Kim Yeong-jin mans a table at Seoul International Book Fair June 14, 2023. Courtesy of SUPERSONIC STUDIO

"This zine is more than just a guidebook — it’s an independent creative work that we planned and produced ourselves," Maeng said. "Just like authors hold book talks when they publish a book, we wanted to recognize the zine as a creative piece in its own right and create a space to talk about its process. That’s why this offline event isn’t just a publication launch — it’s a space where people of all nationalities who are interested in the Korean indie music scene can meet, freely share their thoughts and connect with one another."

The zine, which is printed on a folded piece of A3 paper, was made in cooperation with designer and publisher Sojanggak, which won the Most Beautiful Book in Korea award in 2022. It contains information on live music venues, food and drinks, festivals, record stores and interviews with foreign fans of Korea's indie music scene. There is also a collection of maps showing important sites for live music lovers around Hongdae, Euljiro and Itaewon.

"This zine is different from a typical travel guide," Maeng said. "For us, a 'guide' isn’t just about listing information; it’s about introducing the Korean indie music scene based on the places we’ve personally experienced, love and frequently visit. Instead of objectively organizing the scene like a conventional travel guidebook, we focused on the venues, musicians and spaces that we genuinely enjoy and have a deep connection with. That’s why we included not just our favorite venues, festivals and record stores, but also restaurants and cafes. Enjoying indie music isn’t limited to concert venues — it’s also about the spaces you visit before and after shows and the everyday places that help shape the scene."

Maeng Joo-hee, center, and Kim Yeong-jin, right, participate in the Kuala Lumpur Art Book Fair in Malaysia in early December. Courtesy of SUPERSONIC STUDIO

Maeng and Kim published the zine on Dec. 4. They first held launch talks and sold the zine at art book fairs in Malaysia and Indonesia. "We saw firsthand that many people abroad are interested in the Korean indie music scene," Maeng said. "We originally created the zine with the intention of selling it only overseas. As we began receiving interest from readers in Korea, we recently decided to move forward with domestic distribution. We're now preparing to make it available through select independent bookstores and record shops in Korea."

Maeng started going to shows in her early 20s and experienced many live performances in the Hongdae area.

"Since childhood, I had always dreamed of working in the music scene, and even while growing up in Canada, I was deeply interested in music," she said. "After returning to Korea, I worked as a marketing manager at Sony Music Entertainment Korea, but even then, my biggest passion was for the indie music scene."

Kim is also a music enthusiast, who worked as a marketing manager for Dal.Komm Coffee.

Both of them left their jobs and started SUPERSONIC STUDIO.

"There are more Korean indie musicians actively performing abroad now than before. Artists like wave to earth, ADOY, Hypnosis Therapy and Say Sue Me are gaining attention on the global stage through their overseas tours," Maeng said. "However, there are still many independent musicians in Korea with even more potential and possibilities. I believe that for the scene to grow further, connecting with international audiences is crucial."

Kim Yeong-jin, right, and Maeng Joo-hee, second from right, speak at a zinemakers' workshop hosted by ABC ZINE PROJECT and Taipei Art Book Fair in Taiwan, March 27, 2024. Courtesy of SUPERSONIC STUDIO

In 2022, she came across the term “zine” for the first time, which led her to explore the culture more deeply. Around that time, a friend living in Japan helped her purchase and send over several zines from Mount Zine, a well-known zine bookstore in Tokyo.

Inspired, Maeng and Kim, along with their collaborator, cultural organizer Kim Haeri, hosted their first zine-making workshop together in Baedari, Incheon, in November 2022.

In 2023, the trio launched the ABC ZINE PROJECT, organizing workshops, zine markets and online forums, "all with the goal of nurturing a zine-making culture that feels uniquely Korean," Maeng said.

A collection of "NOT SO SERIOUS INTERVIEW" zines is on display. Courtesy of SUPERSONIC STUDIO

In 2023, Maeng and Kim of SUPERSONIC STUDIO launched a zine series called the "NOT SO SERIOUS INTERVIEW," a collaborative project in which they create zines together with indie musicians. Featured artists include Eundohee, Sailor Honeymoon and Kirara, as well as international acts including Thailand's wadfah and Phum Viphurit, the Philippines' Sansette and ena mori and members of Taiwan bands DSPS and Patrick Shallow Levée.

"While performances and tours are important, it’s also essential to introduce musicians’ unique worldviews and creative processes through diverse content formats," Maeng said. "We love studying indie musicians’ worldviews, lifestyles and creative processes and drawing inspiration from them."

Each zine is dedicated to one act, and each page asks them one question, which they answer in handwriting, sometimes with sketches.

"Instead of heavy, traditional interviews, we ask lighthearted but meaningful questions that artists genuinely enjoy answering. We put a lot of care into crafting each one — we thoroughly research the artists to come up with thoughtful and personal prompts," Maeng said.

A sketch of Maeng Joo-hee and Kim Yeong-jin of SUPERSONIC STUDIO by Thai singer-songwriter wadfah in her spotlight issue of the "NOT SO SERIOUS INTERVIEW" zine. Courtesy of SUPERSONIC STUDIO

Their network has grown to extend across Asia.

They have also organized live music and cultural exchange events through the global indie music project "indie’s moment," hosting performances at venues such as Culture Station Seoul 284 RTO and local live venues, featuring both Korean and international musicians from Seoul, Busan, Thailand and the Philippines.

Maeng Joo-hee and Kim Yeong-jin talk at an "indie's moment" event. Courtesy of SUPERSONIC STUDIO

"Moving forward, I want to continue connecting the scene, supporting true collaboration and helping musicians grow together. We’d love to serve as a bridge connecting Korean musicians to international scenes in our own way. (Our project) indie’s moment also plans to more actively introduce indie music from across Asia, alongside Korean indie music," Maeng said. "There are so many amazing indie musicians in Korea, and I hope their music and stories gain recognition on a larger stage."

SUPERSONIC STUDIO joins a zine makers' meetup in Cebu, Philippines, Aug. 11, 2024. Courtesy of SUPERSONIC STUDIO

When asked what advice she would give to anyone who wants to learn more about the Korean indie scene, Maeng said, "The best way to start? Experience a live show."

She continued, "Small venues in areas like Hongdae, Hapjeong, Haebangchon and Euljiro offer intimate performances where you can see musicians up close. After the show, you often get the chance to chat with artists, buy their merch and connect with the scene beyond just listening to the music."

The "Totally Biased Guide to Korean Indie Music" zine launch starts at 7:30 p.m. Thursday at Sojanggak Studio in Seongsan-dong near Hongdae. Entry and a copy of the zine cost 20,000 won, or 15,000 won for entry only. Follow @supersonicstudiokr and @indiesmoment on Instagram for more information.