The Latest K-Pop Music Videos That Were Banned In South Korea

All of them are ineligible for broadcast.
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Serah S. Cherrie
Serah S. Cherrie

While music videos are an essential part of any K-Pop release, thanks to the strict broadcasting standards of Korean television, every year, multiple music videos get banned from broadcast due to non-compliance issues. Here are some of the latest notable releases that got banned by the national broadcaster, KBS:

“Like Crazy” by Jimin (BTS)

Jimin made his debut as a soloist last year and swept up charts and awards with his album FACE. However, multiple songs from the album were deemed unfit for broadcast by KBS. Among them, “Like Crazy,” the title track and its accompanying music video were included.

“Wife” by (G)I-DLE

(G)I-DLE released their second studio album, 2, in January this year, which was led by the pre-release single “Wife.” KBS flagged the lyrics for review, which included “provocative” lines such as “stop wiping your saliva… little touch on my tongue” and “you can wipe it everywhere.” The broadcaster banned the music video, citing “many metaphorical lyrics with sexual nuances,” though they never clarified precisely which portions of the song were responsible for the ban.

“Easy” by LE SSERAFIM

LE SSERAFIM’s latest mini album, EASY, was released on February 19, along with an eye-catching music video for the title track, “Easy.” The ban was caused not by the lyrics but by the visuals. One of the scenes in the music video portrayed a potentially dangerous act involving a hairdryer and a bathtub, which KBS deemed a risk to public safety. So, music videos were banned from being broadcast.

“Wish You hell” by Wendy (Red Velvet)

Wendy is the latest artist to join the long list of banned music videos. The Red Velvet member is set to release her solo song, “Wish You Hell,” on March 12. But KBS has already decided to restrict the video from broadcasting due to “trademark exposure.” That suggests that the video might include brand image exposure since KBS’s broadcasting rules prohibit the promotion of commercial brands within entertainment content.

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