Massive Attack deliver history lesson on K-pop’s roots in political protest

British band Massive Attack has been performing a cover of Regret of the Times, a 1995 protest song by Korean pop pioneers Seo Taiji and Boys, pairing it with footage from South Korea's 1980 Gwangju Democratisation Movement. According to The Conversation, the original song drew censorship attempts from Korea's Public Performance Ethics Committee, and the band frames the cover as an act of solidarity with the song's roots in defying state control. The Gwangju protests, a violent state crackdown on civilian demonstrators, are widely seen as a founding moment for Korea's democracy movement. In Korea, the tribute has drawn some backlash — an opposition councillor in Incheon has called for an audit of a recent concert where the song was played.

Listen to this story

Hear this and more stories in a personalized audio briefing.

Open The Chonkerton