“Songs by BEAST, Jay Park, 4minute, MBLAQ & more banned by Ministry of Gender Equality & Family” (Allkpop)

(Image source: Google)

Ladies and gentlemen, we are back with yet another round of ridiculous bans. This time it’s the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family taking action against songs that are thought to “[contain] content that’s harmful to the youth.”

Below is a list of songs and its artists that have been issued bans (which means the following: they “cannot be sold to minors under the age of 19 and cannot be aired before 10 PM KST through radio or television”):

• For its mentions of alcoholic consumption in its lyrics: BEAST’s “On Rainy Days”; Baek Ji-Young’s “I Can’t Drink”
• Sexually suggestive lyrics: Jay Park’s “Don’t Let Go”; After School’s “Funky Man”; Heo Young-Saeng’s “Out the Club”
• Usage of “slang” and mention of “offensive business” (activities in a nightclub or scenes shot in a nightclub): 4Minute’s ”Heart to Heart”; X-5’s “Fantasy”
• Illustration of violence: MBLAQ’s “Again”; DJ DOC’s “Joy and Pain”
• “Encouragement” or “promotion” of crime: SECRET’s Song Ji-Eun’s “Going Crazy”; Kang Seung-Yoon’s “You’re My Heaven” (which was banned also because of its sexually suggestive lyrics) 

This is what I think: the government has the right intentions, but they’re achieving it with the wrong means. I’m all up for educating our youth with the right morals and lessening social disruption, but banning songs and music videos is not the way to go. 

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