Celebrity

List of K-pop songs banned from public broadcasts in Korea (ft. BTS, BLACKPINK, and more)

Before TWICE, many other K-pop groups also had their songs banned from being broadcast on television networks. 

Recently, K-pop fans were taken aback when the track ICON in TWICE‘s new album Formula of Love: O+T=<3 was suddenly banned by KBS. The reason is because the lyrics have inappropriate language and vulgar expressions. Being famous for being identified with an innocent and cute image, TWICE’s song getting banned from public broadcast caused fans to be surprised and regretful.

This is not the first time that songs of K-pop groups have been banned from broadcasts in Korea due to sensitive lyrics. Prior to TWICE, the following Kpop groups were also the “victims”. 

Go Go – BTS 

Go Go released by BTS in 2017 attracts fans for its playful vibes. But the song ends up getting banned because it contains some vulgar lyrics that are not accepted by broadcasting stations. Although BTS’s fans can’t listen to Go Go on television, they are not too upset because the MV for this song has reached more than 205 million views.

Banned from broadcasted K-pop songs

Dope – BTS 

Another BTS song that was banned is Dope. Accordingly, public networks believe that Dope’s lyrics contain too harsh words. Typically, J-Hope‘s rap is said to have a negative connotation: “(Translation) You are all too weak like a bunch of losers and idiots who can only cry“.

Banned from broadcasted K-pop songs

Boombayah – BLACKPINK 

BLACKPINK’s debut hit that hit more than 1 billion views on Youtube also couldn’t avoid the “bad luck” in Korea. Accordingly, as soon as the song was released, it received a ban from broadcasting networks. The reasons given were because there were inappropriate lyrics like “middle finger up” and the mention of an alcohol label.

Banned from broadcasted K-pop songs

Fxxk It – BIGBANG

BIGBANG released the title track Fxxk It in 2016. The title was already a reason why a ban was issued on this song despite being censored. In addition to the title, the specific reason for the ban was the word “yangachi” in the lyrics (a word with a meaning roughly equivalent to “gangster”). KBS’s song review team deemed this word unsuitable for public broadcast. 

Banned from broadcasted K-pop songs

Cherry Bomb – NCT 127

In mid-2017, NCT 127 had a comeback with the song Cherry Bomb.  Thought “cherry cherry” would bring sweetness to the group, but unexpectedly, this song was quickly put on the banned list of KBS.

The reason given is because the station thinks that the song has too violent lyrics and is not suitable for broadcasting.  After receiving this notice, SM Entertainment also responded by confirming that the group will not promote Cherry Bomb on KBS and will replace it with another song.

Banned from broadcasted K-pop songs
Despite receiving the ban, SM decided not to change the lyrics to keep the message of Cherry Bomb

Holup – Bobby (iKon) 

Not only are the lyrics offensive, but Bobby‘s song Holup has a number of other flaws that prevent it from being broadcast. Accordingly, in addition to swearing and using inappropriate phrases in the song, Bobby also used Japanese terms and mentioned the brand name, as well as drinking excessively.

Banned from broadcasted K-pop songs

Like that – CLC

7 beautiful girls of the group CLC once attracted attention with the song Like That. However, the lyrics of the song were considered too provocative and sensitive.  The song was later banned from broadcasting on some television stations.

One More – Fiestar

The song “One More” by the group Fiestar, like CLC’s “Like That,” embarrassed viewers with its overtly sexual lyrics and sensitive images. It is also for these reasons that it has been banned by major television stations. 

Banned from broadcasted K-pop songs

Mirotic – TVXQ

TVXQ‘s Mirotic is quite a lucky case. Despite the fact that this song is among the best and one of the group’s biggest hits, broadcasters expressed concerns about its lyrics.

Banned from broadcasted K-pop songs

The lyrics “I got you under my skin” led the station to believe that Mirotic was sexually suggestive, so it was rated 19+. The song was not banned from broadcasting, but it could only air after 10 p.m.

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