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Censoring a Boon for an Album? |
2009-01-07 |
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Censoring authorities have been busy recently, sticking adult-only ratings on Rain, TVXQ and Big Bang member Seung-ri’s new songs. The Division of Child and Youth Protection under the Ministry of Health, Welfare and Family Affairs ruled 110 songs as harmful to youths in late December and banned TV stations from playing those songs on the air.
The first censored song that fired off the debate was Rain’s “Rainism.” TVXQ changed problematic lyrics in their “Mirotic” from “I got you under my skin,” which supposedly implies a sexual act, to “I got you under my sky.” Big Bang’s Seung-ri, who has gone solo with the song titled “Strong Baby,” also changed the word “crack” to “clap.”
Music critics say that the government’s censoring has boosted, rather than suppressed, the sale of these supposedly improper and harmful records. As a matter of fact, Rain’s agency said that album sales jumped 10% since the song received a harmful material rating. Industry insiders claim that the times have changed and today’s teenagers are exposed to materials more explicitly sexual than these songs. Although they understand the government’s effort to protect children and youths from the influence of harmful materials, they say that specific and more lenient guidelines should be provided to keep pace with the current trends. |
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