KBS Bans Another K-Pop Music Video, Leading To Fierce Fan Backlash

Fans are angry at the artist’s agency.
Stories
Andrea Nolan
Andrea Nolan

South Korea’s national broadcaster KBS has imposed a ban on another highly anticipated music video. This move marks the continuation of a string of content restrictions that have caught the public eye over the past few weeks, with notable releases from (G)I-DLE and LE SSERAFIM facing similar prohibitions.

wendy teaser
| SM Entertainment

The first of the controversies involved (G)I-DLE’s music video for their song “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.” Although KBS refrained from pinpointing the exact lyrics that led to the ban, the broadcaster highlighted the presence of “many metaphorical lyrics with sexual nuances.”

Controversies continued, as LE SSERAFIM’s music video for “Easy” also faced a ban for entirely different reasons. The point of contention for the HYBE girl group’s clip was a scene that depicted a potentially dangerous act involving a hairdryer and a bathtub, which KBS deemed a risk for imitation by viewers.

The latest to join the list of banned music videos is Red Velvet‘s Wendy, whose comeback video is set to air on March 12.

wendy teaser 1
| SM Entertainment

KBS’s decision to restrict the video’s broadcast stems from “trademark exposure,” suggesting the inadvertent inclusion of brand imagery within the clip. The decision comes due to the stringent guidelines KBS adheres to regarding the promotion of commercial brands within entertainment content.

Little else is known about Wendy’s music video for title track “Wish You Hell,” though the review does mention “Wendy overcomes loneliness” throughout the video — which would be in line with the comeback’s concept.

wendy teaser 2
| SM Entertainment

But KBS’s decision has caused even more problems for Wendy’s agency, SM Entertainment. Since the review’s release, fans have been urging the company to edit the contentious scenes while stressing the importance of music video broadcasting points when it comes to music show wins.

Some have gone as far as to say that if the company does not make the necessary edits, it will be deemed as “sabotage” towards the artist.

SM Entertainment has yet to make a statement or announce changes to the music video.

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