Top 10 Banned K-Pop Videos

Zico feat. Don Mills

Block B debuted in 2011, with Zico as their leader. Zico would go on to release his first solo track in 2014, called “Tough Cookie” featuring Don Mills. As the name suggests, he was trying to appear a bit of a bad boy. Unfortunately, he went a bit too far over the line. While his rapping is decent, his lyricism has a lot of room for improvement. It was banned for its use of homophobic slurs and borderline offensive hip-hop stereotyping. Also, one of Zico’s jackets had a Confederate flag on the sleeve. His agency apologized, claiming he didn’t know about the negative connotations. Artists should research these things before including them in their songs.

EXO

Debuting in 2012, Exo is one of the larger K-pop bands, originally having 12 members. Their song “Lotto” was notoriously banned from broadcast in 2016. The lyrics compare falling in love with a woman to winning the lottery. A relatively charming metaphor, and not particularly problematic at first glance. Well, South Korea is much stricter about mentioning brands in songs. The name had to be changed from “Lotto” to “Louder” to get in unbanned, since Lotto is, of course, a brand name. It’s not the only song prohibited for this reason. “Everyday” by Winner was also banned for singing “lotto.”

Le Sserafim


You might know Le Sserafim from their catchy anthems like “Antifragile” and “Crazy.” They debuted in 2022, and have already had a strong career, breaking sales records with their debut EP. In early 2024, they released the relatively laid-back anthem “Easy.” Despite its popularity, its music video was banned from broadcast. This is because of a scene featuring group leader Chaewon in a bathtub, which ends with someone dropping a hairdryer in the water. Channels worried viewers would imitate it, and since it’s incredibly dangerous, the music video was banned from broadcast.

Blackpink


Considered by many to be the most popular girl group globally, Blackpink has still had its share of controversial videos. Well, controversial among South Korean broadcasting companies, and nowhere else. Their 2019 track “Kill This Love” received a ban, for a shot of Rosé driving seatbelt-less. How did the Korean Broadcasting System like that? Well, it’s a traffic violation, and hence couldn’t be broadcast. It’s unclear whether the group has since started to wear seatbelts. Therefore, we feel obligated to remind viewers that Blackpink is in your area. So, please drive with extra caution.

Dean

Even though music is the focus, music videos can be amazingly creative displays of filmmaking. “Instagram” is one of these videos. Released in 2017 by Dean, it gained massive popularity from IU’s cover. It talks about unhealthy obsessions with social media, specifically with the feeling of scrolling through Instagram late at night. The video’s visuals are stunning, showing extremely detailed rotoscoping, making for a wonderful watch. Unfortunately, since it mentions the brand “Instagram,” it got banned from broadcast. Ironic, since the song is opposing the app and highlighting its issues, rather than promoting it.

BTS

The Bangtan Boys need no introduction. Estimates claim they bring roughly $5 billion into South Korea’s economy annually. Despite this, they’re not immune to bans. Their 2015 track “Dope” is adored by fans, with the group using it as their opening track live. Well, you’ll never be able to watch it on Korean TV, since it’s banned for supposedly vulgar lyrics. For example, J-Hope raps “All of you are so weak. Such losers. Crybabies. And idiots.” For a Western audience, this is pretty tame, but Korea is way stricter. Thankfully, it didn’t stop the track from becoming a smash hit, which is gradually approaching 1 billion views on YouTube.

Lee Hyo-ri

Going way back to the days before BTS, Lee Hyo-ri was popular in South Korea during the 2000s. So much so that they dubbed 2003 “the year of Hyori,” with her sparking a craze known as “Hyori syndrome.” She made a comeback in 2010, with the song “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.” It featured a plethora of traffic violations, and hence couldn’t be broadcast. These include driving a truck with no seatbelt, dancers dancing on top of a bus, and also dancing on the road. Later on, these scenes were edited out, erasing a minute and a half of footage. This version was fine to broadcast, but still needed a 12+ rating.

(G)I-DLE

Now for one of the most groundbreaking girl groups of the 2020s, (G)I-DLE is notable for self-producing their music and breaking stereotypes within the scene. One of their most famous tracks has been “Wife,” released in early 2024. Its lyrics were remarkably bold, poking fun at stereotypical wife roles, while also having suggestive connotations. A heated debate online ensued, with many complaining about this inappropriate imagery. On the other hand, it was highly praised for supporting independent women and refusing to conform to toxic stereotypes. Unfortunately, it was banned for its vulgarity. Leader, producer, and writer Soyeon stuck to her guns, refusing to alter the lyrics, believing the message was too important to be diluted.

Orange Caramel

In the mid-2010s, “Catallena” was all the rage in K-pop. It features a unique mix of styles along with stand-out production. Its video is bright and colorful, featuring the group dancing in various outfits and scenarios. At first, it seems completely harmless, with them playfully pretending to be sushi, which is where they crossed the line. There are multiple shots of the trio dressed as mermaids trapped in plastic wrap. Recreating this would be pretty dangerous, and could cause suffocation, hence it was prohibited. It’s a shame they’re no longer around, they were one of Korea’s quirkiest and most unique groups.


Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.

Banned for Discussing Hypnotism Alongside Showing Tattoos

This Video’s Credits Were Considered Too Long for TV

The Lyrics Were Considered Too Violent for Broadcast

PSY

PSY has been a household name in South Korea since the 2000s, being one of the most famous pop stars within the country, rivaling artists like IU for being nationally adored. He became famous globally in 2012 when he released “Gangnam Style,” the most popular K-pop song in history. His follow-up track was “Gentleman,” which was another instant hit, but immense fame didn’t give him a free pass from bans. This music video was prohibited, for a hilarious reason - PSY kicking a traffic cone. Farting in a woman’s face and taking off another’s bikini is above board, but kicking a cone? That’s a step too far.

What do you think was the most unnecessarily banned K-pop video? Let us know in the comments below!