Korean rock

Korean rock (Hangul: 한국의 록) is rock music from South Korea. It has roots in American rock, which was imported to South Korea by U.S. soldiers fighting in the Korean War and stationing in U.S. military base in South Korea after the war. Around the U.S. military base, local musicians could have opportunities to learn American rock music and perform it on the stage for U.S. soldiers. As the result, many Korean rock bands, called Vocal Band or Group Sound, could start their musical career in 1960s. Under the military administration in 1970s, rock music and its subculture were classified as a depraved youth culture and restricted. After the Korean Fifth Republic, the censorship policies under military government had been abolished and rock music became a mainstream genre in South Korea until end of 1980s. Today, rock music is not a main genre in the music market in South Korea, but it still occupies a big portion of music consumption in South Korea.