Rux is an influential street punk band from South Korea. They formed in 1996 and released their first recording in 1999. Lead vocalist Won Jong-hee, the only remaining original member, also ran Skunk Label and owned the punk music venue Skunk Hell. They gained notoriety in 2005 when friends of the band undressed on stage during the live nationwide broadcast of an episode of MBC concert show Music Camp.
History
Rux was formed in 1996 when the punk music scene centered on Club Drug and Crying Nut. The name "Rux" is synonymous with "Ruckus". Rux released several songs on compilations and went through numerous personnel changes before releasing the seven-song compilation I Gatta Go. The title refers to conscription in South Korea for all Korean males, which frequently breaks up Korean bands. Following the release, the band went on hiatus from 1999 to 2002 while Won Jong-hee served in the military.
Skunk Label
Won Jong-hee owned and operated Skunk Label, a DIYrecord label for Korean punk bands founded in July 1998. Skunk Label went on hiatus while Won served his military duty. After Won returned in 2002, Skunk Label released We are the Punx in Korea, a 30-track compilation CD that has been described as the "Rosetta stone" of Korean punk rock.
Skunk Hell
Under the banner of Skunk Label, Won operated two live music venues, called Skunk Hell. The first venue, located between Hongik University and Sinchon, was an obscure basement venue described as the size of a "good-sized living room". The second Skunk Hell opened in Hongdae area in January 2004 in the former location of Club Drug. Eventually weekly management of the live music schedule was handed over to Ryu Cheol-hwan of punk band Suck Stuff. At the end of 2008, Skunk Hell officially closed its doors, with Ryu and Won citing waning finances and the inability to secure a liquor licence, as well as market saturation of competing live music venues. Skunk Hell closed its doors and Skunk Label fell out of use, as both Rux and Suck Stuff were quickly signed to Dope Records. Skunk Hell opened in its third location in Mullae-dong in 2015.
Music Camp incident
On Saturday, July 30, 2005, Rux was invited to appear on the MBC concert program Live Music Camp for their segment called “Is this song good?” The band members invited a large number of their supporters in the punk scene. Toward the end of the performance, two punks disrobed and leapt around the stage in front of the live audience and the cameras. Between four and five seconds of full-frontal nudity was broadcast across the nation. The two streakers were mistakenly identified as members of the band Couch, although one was from Spiky Brats. Both were booked by the police without detention on charges of indecency and interference with a business. The police administered drug tests, but the results were negative. Won was also arrested for inviting the two to appear on the show. Public response was furious, both against Rux and the broadcaster. MBC cancelled Music Camp, and the Korean Broadcasting Commission considered heavy disciplinary measures. Then mayor of Seoul, Lee Myung-bak suggested that Hongdae concerts be regulated by authorities, which prompted political rivals to compare Lee to former dictator Park Chung-hee.
