Founded by singer-songwriter/guitarist Kim Jong-Chul of the Kim Dynasty and North Korean football player-turned bassist Pak Byung-ho-Semi,[1][2] the band went through a succession of drummers during their stay in the Untied States, most notably Eminem before stumbling upon their main drummer, Snoop Dogg (both would become famous rappers after their involvement in Juche).
Juche's success in America before their deportation in 1992 would popularize K-Rock and alterative rock in the western world, pathing way for future Korean music groups such as the K-Rock group PYS (Pyongyang Boys), one of the best-selling groups of the 2010s.
Juche's founder, Kim Jong-Chul, has credited the Rutles and Dirk McQuickly as some of the bands major influences. McQuickly would join Juche in 2012 as a part of the band's reunion project 18 years after the disbandment of Juche due to the death of Jong-Chul's grandfather.
Jong-Chul and Byung-ho-Semi first met at the International Berne School (IBS) in Switzerland. The two found relatability in each other and became friends in their later high school years. The pair would eventually discover western rock music and punk rock through word from their fellow classmates, which would have the two enamored throughout their time in Swiss High School. Jong-Chul wanted to start a band with Byung-ho-Semi inspired by the punk rock they had listened to, though Byung-ho-Semi initially declined. The two would return to North Korea after dropping out of IBS, distraught by the lack of rock music in North Korea. Eventually, Jong-Chul was introduced to the Rutles after Stig O'Hara visited Jong-Chul's father Kim Il-Sung in 1986. Stig gifted the music of the Rutles to the Kim family, which Jong-Chul would frequently listen to. Shortly after Jong-Chul and Byung-ho-Semi attended a private Stig O'Hara concert at the Ryongsong Residence, Byung-ho-Semi agreed to start a band with Jong-Chul.
The logo of Juche.
The band would make a living performing at government-shows around the Pyongyang and Nampo districts. The band went through a variety of titles, including Fine Line, Big Red Button, Paradise, and Kim Im Tim before landing on the name Juche. The name Juche was originally derived from the Juche idea, the state ideology of North Korea. Jong-Chul chose the name because he "wanted a name that was kind of beautiful or nice and pretty instead of a mean, raunchy punk name like The Rolling Stones." Shortly after the name change, Jong-Chul and Byung-ho-Semi decided to move to the United States of America due to a large amount of criticism the taboo band had been receiving from North Korean officials, resulting in a decrease in venues Juche was able to perform at. In 1988, Kim Jong-Chul and Pak Byung-ho-Semi moved to Los Angeles County in California.
Westside underground and Bastard (1988–1990)[]
Juche with one of their original drummers, Eminem.
In Los Angeles, Juche would find underground success among youngsters around the Downtown area, going through a variety of drummers. For a few concerts in Compton, a fan and up-and-coming rapper by the street name of Eminem would join Juche as a drummer and would also play on Juche's first single, "La Merde", a cover of a Les Garçons de la Plage song, in November 1988 on the independent record label Bes Top. Eminem would leave Juche to peruse a solo career, recommending another up-and-coming rapper, Snoop Dogg, as his replacement.
Album cover for Bastard, Juche's debut album.
Snoop Dogg would have great chemistry with Jong-Chul and Byung-ho-Semi, and would become Juche's signature drummer. Soon after Snoop joined the band, Juche would begin working on their debut album, titled Bastard. The album's sound would be mainly derived from Punk Floyd's obscure 70s hardcore punk, with some elements from N.W.D (N*ggas Wit Depression), a famous Grunge-rap group from Compton which would eventually sue Juche in 1992.[3]Bastard sold quite good for an album of it's production and style, and in 1989, Juche would embark on their first ever national tour of the United States, but cancelled after the first two shows after Juche was incorrectly mislabeled as an "incoming threat to American public safety" by George H. W. Bush. In the final months of 1989, Juche recorded and released their first EP, Blew Up, which contained the songs "Blew Up" and "La Merde" from Bastard and included two new songs, "Little Leader" and "Stalin".
Now is the Time!, mainstream breakthrough, and deportation (1990–1992)[]
Album cover for Now is the Time!, Juche's first album on a major label.
Juche's relationship with Bes Top had been deuterating since the release of Bastard in 1989, ending with Juche ditching Bes Top in early 1990. Juche, with a wildly increasing cult following, would be increasingly under pressure from the Federal government of the United States due to the nature of their songs and increasingly-public and questionable viewpoints along with Juche's alleged socialist ties. In an attempt to prove their legitimacy as mainstream hits in America, Juche would sign with the major label USA Records and begin working on their second album Now is the Time!. Recording and production for Now is the Time! was abnormally rushed, being completed in 50 minutes (unfortunately losing to The Rutles by 30 minutes), and would release in 1991.
A promotional photo of Juche taken during the filming of the music video for "Smells Like Socialist Spirit"
Now is the Time! was an immediate success, releasing along with the singles "Smells Like Socialist Spirit" and "Come for the Leader", selling 400,000 copies a week by Christmas of 1991. Juche would film a music video for "Smells Like Socialist Spirit" that would receive major airplay on the popular youth-centric American cable channel MTV, largely increasing Juche's recognition and popularity. Shortly after Now is the Time! reached number one on the Billboard charts, Billboard would proclaim that "Juche is one that rare band that has everything: critical acclaim, industry respect, government disrespect, pop-radio appeal, tight pants, tight shirts, blond hair, and rock-solid gangster/alternative base". Juche's sudden success would be credited for popularizing K-Rock in the United States and worldwide.
To capitalize on their success, Juche embarked on a world tour in 1991, starting with concerts in North Korea and then expanding to the United States and South America in 1992.
One of the most controversial moments of the tour occurred in Argentina, at the Vélez Sarsfield Stadium, in 1992. The concert was marked by multiple incidents:
Promotional poster for this concert
The band The Iron Roses, friends of Jong-Chul, were chosen as the opening act, but the audience booed them and threw objects at them, causing the lead singer to leave the stage before finishing her performance.
As revenge, Juche decided to put on a disastrous show on purpose.
Jong-Chul refused to play Smells Like Socialist Spirit, although he used it to hype up the audience, playing the song's riff before abruptly switching to another piece.
On Polished by the Leader, Snoop Dogg played with a toy drum kit, adding an absurd tone to the show.
During Come for the Leader, Jong-Chul began the song by singing only the word "Hey," before finally launching into the actual lyrics.
In the middle of the set, Pak Byung-ho-Semi improvised a long jam after Polished by the Leader, which increased the frustration of the audience.
Kim Jong-Chul taking photos with the argentinian band Los Brujos
Even though the album In Chollima had not yet been released, this was one of the first times that No Apologies was played live.
This was because Jong-Chul wanted to play as many songs as possible that were unfamiliar to the audience, adding even more confusion to the show.
Interestingly, Juche met the band that played before them, Los Brujos, an Argentine band that Juche was inspired by to make his song ''Very Bananas''. If we compare the song ''Kanishka'' with ''Very Bananas'', we will realize that they sound the same. However, Los Brujos decided not to sue, because they must have been flattered that Juche was inspired by them.
The concert was called the "worst concert of the band," with criticism from both the public and the press.
Juche at one of their last American shows in Seattle.
Shortly after, Juche faced legal problems in the United States.. At the start of 1992, Juche would be sued by the Grunge-rap group N.W.D over Juche's song "Come for the Leader". N.W.D claimed the main riff from "Come for the Leader" was stolen from N.W.D's 1988 single "(I Can't) Express Myself".[4] Around the same time, Now is the Time! would begin being pulled from shelves in the US States of Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Georgia due to the alleged "communist" and "terroristic" nature of the songs on the album. Juche's controversy would culminate when the Communist Party of the United States of America's polling numbers increased by 0.006% during the 1992 US election. Juche would officially be deported from the United States just before Christmas of 1992.
In Chollima and final performances (1993)[]
Album cover for In Chollima, Juche's first album recorded in North Korea.
Juche's deportation from the United States would devastate the band and Juche's worldwide cult following. Kim Jong-Chul and Pak Byung-ho-Semi would return to North Korea, while Snoop Dogg would be allowed settlement in North Korea under heavy supervision, though would not be granted citizenship, making Snoop Dogg a stateless person. Snoop would not be granted North Korean citizenship until Kim Jong-Un's rise to power in 2011. Juche would record and release the collaborative single "Bellows" / "Oh, Shame" with the Pochonbo Electronic Ensemble before beginning their third studio album, In Chollima.[5] The production of the album would be state funded, and the album's tone would be closer to that of Bastard and Juche's earlier more primitive shows in North Korea before they moved to the United States. The songs "Sickle-Shaped Freedom" and "No Apologies" were written before Juche moved to the United States, though they were not recorded until In Chollima.
In Chollima would release in September 1993 officially exclusively in North Korea. The album would top and be the only album on the North Korean album charts, reportedly selling 2 billion copies in North Korea, somehow selling one-hundred times the population of North Korea and becoming the best-selling album of all time. The album would eventually leak to the Western world through North Korean defectors, with copies of In Chollima being highly sought-after. It is estimated that 10,000 to 20,000 copies were smuggled out of North Korea and into Europe and the United States combined.
For their final tour, Juche brought in rhythm bassist Paek Sŭ-mir.
Juche at one of their last shows in Pyongyang.
In the final months of 1993, Juche supported by the Pochonbo Electronic Ensemble would embark on their first ever tour of North Korea. The tour would be the band's last, and would be one of North Korea's most expensive events. As a part of the tour, Juche held an acoustic-only performance in Nampo that was broadcasted across North Korea. Referred to as "Juche Unplugged", the live performance would also be released as an LP, the only live album Juche has ever released. Juche planned a European tour, though they were unable to get permission from enough European countries.
Death of Kim Il-Sung and disbandment (1994–1996)[]
Kim Il-Sung's embalmed body presented at his funeral.
On the 8th of July 1994, Kim Il-Sung found the Punk Floyd's music in Kim Jong-Chul's record collection, and had a listen. Shortly after, Kim Il-Sung died of a sudden heart attack at the age of 82, leaving North Korea Supreme Leaderless. Kim Jong-Il, Jong-Chul's father, was quickly appointed as the new Supreme Leader of North Korea. Soon after, No-Fun-Allowed laws were put into effect for the entirety of 1994, effectively forcing Juche to disband. Snoop Dogg was nearly deported from North Korea; however, he managed to remain in the country as he shed the required amount of tears at Kim Il-Sung's funeral. Snoop would release his solo debut album in 1995, titled Very Obedient Dog.[6] Kim Jong-Chul wouldn't return to musicianship until 1996, where he would join his brother Kim Jong-Un to form the Kim Jong-Duo. Pak Byung-ho-Semi would return to football that same year, retiring in 1998 after being heavily affected by the North Korean famine through out the 90s.
Reunion with Dirk McQuickly (2012)[]
Juche in Pyongyang, 2012.
In 2012, Juche would reunite to release a single and perform in Pyongyang for the first time in 19 years, with Dirk McQuickly joining Juche as lead guitarist and singer replacing Kim Jong-Chul, who chose to retire from the music industry following the passing of his father, Kim Jong-Il, in 2011 and the ascension of his brother as the supreme leader. Juche would release the single "Cut Your Sack (For the Leader)", written by Dirk McQuickly and co-written by Pak Byung-ho-Semi and Snoop Dogg. Juche would also perform a second concert in Nampo.
Post-Juche[]
In 2025, Juche reunited alongside Post Malone as ''Post-Juche''
