00:00Welcome to Ms. Mojo and today we're looking at South Korean music videos that were outlawed
00:11on Korean TV.
00:23Number 10.
00:24Tough Cookie.
00:25Zico featuring Don Mills.
00:27Block B debuted in 2011 with Zico as their leader.
00:31Zico would go on to release his first solo track in 2014 called Tough Cookie featuring
00:37Don Mills.
00:39As the name suggests, he was trying to appear a bit of a bad boy.
00:43Unfortunately, he went a bit too far over the line.
00:53While his rapping is decent, his lyricism has a lot of room for improvement.
00:58It was banned for its use of homophobic slurs and borderline offensive hip-hop stereotyping.
01:04Also, one of Zico's jackets had a confederate flag on the sleeve.
01:12His agency apologized, claiming he didn't know about the negative connotations.
01:17Artists should research these things before including them in their songs.
01:28Number 9.
01:29Lotto.
01:30EXO.
01:31Debuting in 2012, EXO is one of the larger K-pop bands originally having 12 members.
01:45Their song Lotto was notoriously banned from broadcast in 2016.
01:50The lyrics compare falling in love with a woman to winning the lottery, a relatively
01:54charming metaphor and not particularly problematic at first glance.
01:59Well, South Korea is much stricter about mentioning brands in songs.
02:12The name had to be changed from Lotto to Louder to get unbanned, since Lotto is, of
02:18course, a brand name.
02:19It's not the only song prohibited for this reason.
02:23Every Day by Winner was also banned for singing Lotto.
02:32Number 8.
02:33Easy.
02:34Le Seraphim.
02:40You might know Le Seraphim from their catchy anthems like Anti-Fragile and Crazy.
02:45They debuted in 2022 and have already had a strong career, breaking sales records with
02:51their debut EP.
02:52In early 2024, they released the relatively laid-back anthem Easy.
03:03Despite its popularity, its music video was banned from broadcast.
03:08This is because of a scene featuring group leader Chae Won in a bathtub, which ends with
03:13someone dropping a hair dryer in the water.
03:16Channels worried viewers would imitate it, and since it's incredibly dangerous, the
03:20music video was banned from broadcast.
03:27Number 7.
03:28Kill This Love.
03:29Blackpink.
03:30Considered by many to be the most popular girl group globally, Blackpink has still had
03:35its share of controversial videos.
03:38Well, controversial among South Korean broadcasting companies and nowhere else.
03:48Their 2019 track Kill This Love received a ban for a shot of Rosé driving seatbelt-less.
03:55How did the Korean broadcasting system like that?
03:57Well, it's a traffic violation and hence couldn't be broadcast.
04:06It's unclear whether the group has since started to wear seatbelts.
04:09Therefore, we feel obligated to remind viewers that Blackpink is in your area, so please
04:15drive with extra caution.
04:24Number 6.
04:25Instagram.
04:26Dean.
04:28Although music is the focus, music videos can be amazingly creative displays of filmmaking.
04:32Instagram is one of these videos.
04:40Released in 2017 by Dean, it gained massive popularity from IU's cover.
04:46It talks about unhealthy obsessions with social media, specifically with the feeling of scrolling
04:51through Instagram late at night.
05:00The video's visuals are stunning, showing extremely detailed rotoscoping, making for
05:05a wonderful watch.
05:07Unfortunately, since it mentions the brand Instagram, it got banned from broadcast.
05:12Ironic, since the song is opposing the app and highlighting its issues rather than promoting
05:17it.
05:21Number 5.
05:22Dope.
05:23BTS.
05:24The Bangtan Boys need no introduction.
05:29Estimates claim they bring roughly $5 billion into South Korea's economy annually.
05:34Despite this, they're not immune to bans.
05:37Their 2015 track, Dope, is adored by fans, with the group using it as their opening track
05:42live.
05:43Well, you'll never be able to watch it on Korean TV, since it's banned for supposedly
05:48vulgar lyrics.
05:50For example, J-Hope raps,
05:51"'All of you are so weak, such losers, crybabies and idiots.'"
06:02For a Western audience, this is pretty tame, but Korea is way stricter.
06:07Thankfully, it didn't stop the track from becoming a smash hit, which is gradually approaching
06:121 billion views on YouTube.
06:21Number 4.
06:22Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, Lee Hyori.
06:31Going way back to the days before BTS, Lee Hyori was popular in South Korea during the
06:362000s, so much so that they dubbed 2003 the Year of Hyori, with her sparking a craze known
06:43as Hyori Syndrome.
06:45She made a comeback in 2010 with the song Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.
06:53It featured a plethora of traffic violations, and hence couldn't be broadcast.
06:59These include driving a truck with no seatbelt, dancers dancing on top of a bus, and also
07:03dancing on the road.
07:05Later, these scenes were edited out, erasing a minute and a half of footage.
07:09This version was fine to broadcast, but still needed a 12-plus rating.
07:21Number 3.
07:22WIFE, G-IDLE.
07:24Now for one of the most groundbreaking girl groups of the 2020s, G-IDLE is notable for
07:29self-producing their music and breaking stereotypes within the scene.
07:33One of their most famous tracks has been WIFE, released in early 2024.
07:45Its lyrics were remarkably bold, poking fun at stereotypical WIFE roles while also having
07:50suggestive connotations.
07:53A heated debate online ensued, with many complaining about this inappropriate imagery.
07:58On the other hand, it was highly praised for supporting independent women and refusing
08:03to conform to toxic stereotypes.
08:09Unfortunately, it was banned for its vulgarity.
08:16Leader, producer, and writer Soyoung stuck to her guns, refusing to alter the lyrics,
08:22believing the message was too important to be diluted.
08:33Number 2.
08:34Catalina, Orange Caramel.
08:36In the mid-2010s, Catalina was all the rage in K-pop.
08:40It features a unique mix of styles along with standout production.
08:44Its video is bright and colorful, featuring the group dancing in various outfits and scenarios.
08:52At first, it seems completely harmless, with them playfully pretending to be sushi, which
09:03is where they cross the line.
09:05There are multiple shots of the trio dressed as mermaids trapped in plastic wrap.
09:16Recreating this would be pretty dangerous and could cause suffocation, hence it was
09:21prohibited.
09:22It's a shame they're no longer around.
09:24They were one of Korea's quirkiest and most unique groups.
09:35Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.
09:39Your Fortune, Norazo.
09:41And for discussing hypnotism alongside showing tattoos.
09:51Beep Park Jiyoon.
09:53This video's credits were considered too long for TV.
10:02Cherry Bomb, NCT 127.
10:05The lyrics were considered too violent for broadcast.
10:15Before we continue, be sure to subscribe to our channel and ring the bell to get notified
10:19about our latest videos.
10:21You have the option to be notified for occasional videos or all of them.
10:25If you're on your phone, make sure you go into your settings and switch on notifications.
10:31Number one, Gentleman, Psy.
10:41Psy has been a household name in South Korea since the 2000s.
10:45Being one of the most famous pop stars within the country, rivaling artists like IU for
10:50being nationally adored.
10:52He became famous globally in 2012 when he released Gangnam Style, the most popular K-pop
10:57song in history.
11:06His follow-up track was Gentleman, which was another instant hit.
11:10But immense fame didn't give him a free pass from bands.
11:13This music video was prohibited for a hilarious reason.
11:17Psy kicking a traffic cone.
11:20Farting in a woman's face and taking off another's bikini is above board, but kicking
11:24a cone, that's a step too far.
11:34What do you think was the most unnecessarily banned K-pop video?
11:38Let us know in the comments.
11:47Do you agree with our picks?
11:48Check out this other recent clip from Ms. Mojo and be sure to subscribe and ring the
11:52bell to be notified about our latest videos.
Comments