While K-pop music is one of the biggest aspects of Korean culture, it doesn't exempt them from broadcast rules and regulations. Though most fans wouldn't bat an eye to the numerous songs Korean broadcasts deemed as "unfit," some just couldn't help but chuckle at the reasoning behind their ban.
With that, check out these 7 K-pop songs that were banned in Korea for absurd reasons!
1. BTS - 'Pied Piper'
"Pied Piper" is one of BTS' most popular songs and is dedicated to their fandom, ARMY. Lyrically, the song is about encouraging fans to continue studying hard and achieve their goals.
However, "Pied Piper" became banned from being played in broadcasts as it mentions the names of apps, such as Twitter and Naver V LIVE.
2. NCT 127 - 'Cherry Bomb'
While NCT 127's song "Cherry Bomb" sounds as sweet as cherries, it was actually banned from being played on broadcasts as they deemed the lyrics "too violent."
Eventually, NCT 127 was unable to promote the song on broadcast despite it being the lead single for their mini album of the same name.
3. Dal Shabet - 'Joker'
Dal Shabet's track "Joker" received a lot of love from fans due to the members' splendid vocals.
Unfortunately, the song got banned due to the title and its explicit dance moves. While it seemed as if nothing was wrong, turns out, "Joker" sounds like the Korean slang for the male genital.
4. BIGBANG - 'Fxxk It'
One of the more obvious reasons, BIGBANG's 2016 track "Fxxk It" was banned from being played on broadcasts due to its explicit use of language, such as its title.
In addition to that, the song's music video was also banned due to commercial branding. The magazines used as a prop in the video got blurred as it was also deemed as unsuitable.
5. BLACKPINK - 'BOOMBAYAH'
When BLACKPINK made their debut in August 2016, their debut track "BOOMBAYAH" immediately got banned on broadcasts.
According to broadcasting stations, the lyrics of "BOOMBAYAH" mentions the alcohol brand Hennessy with the line "bottle full of Henny," as well as some vulgar language.
6. KARD - 'Oh Na Na'
Prior to making their official debut, co-ed group KARD released the project song "Oh Na Na" featuring Heo Youngji.
While the group did not promote the song until their debut in July 2017, the song got banned from broadcasts due to the mention of the social media app, Instagram.
7. EXO - 'Lotto'
EXO's title track "Lotto" from their repackaged album of the same name was banned from music broadcasts as "Lotto" was deemed as a brand name which stands for "lottery."
As "Lotto" was the group's lead single, they ended up changing the song's title to "Louder" to be able to promote on broadcasts. Likewise, the lyrics in the song was also changed to "louder."
What other K-pop songs do you know was banned?
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Written by Robyn Joan
