Massive Attack Covers Seo Taiji's 'Regret of the Times,' Igniting Festival Buzz

British trip-hop pioneers Massive Attack have sparked a buzz among South Korean music fans by covering "Regret of the Times" by the iconic Seo Taiji. The band, scheduled to perform at the "2026 Incheon Pentaport Rock Festival" on August 1, has generated anticipation about whether they will perform the cover live in Korea.

Massive Attack first performed the cover version of "Regret of the Times" live at the Vainikkaus Arena in Helsinki, Finland, on May 27. They listed the song on their setlist as "Regret of the Times" (Seo Taiji cover). Videos of the performance and audience reactions quickly spread across social media, gaining rapid traction in South Korea.

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We see this cover as an act of continuity, resurrection, and solidarity with Seo Taiji Company.

The band shared on their social media, "We see this cover as an act of continuity, resurrection, and solidarity with Seo Taiji Company." They added, "The work of K-pop pioneer Seo Taiji challenged state censorship and simultaneously created a global genre." During their performance, archival footage of South Korea's democratization movement in the 1980s was displayed on a large screen.

"Regret of the Times" was originally slated for Seo Taiji and Boys' fourth album, "Come Back Home," in 1995. However, it was banned from broadcast by the then-Performance Ethics Committee. In protest, Seo Taiji included the song as an instrumental piece on the album. This incident became a catalyst for public opinion demanding the abolition of the pre-censorship system. After the system's abolition, a single version with lyrics was released in 1996, cementing "Regret of the Times" as a pivotal song in South Korean popular music, symbolizing the fight for freedom of expression against censorship.

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The work of K-pop pioneer Seo Taiji challenged state censorship and simultaneously created a global genre.