According to the January 10 issue of the official digital gazette of the Ministry of Public Administration and Security, the Ministry of Gender Equality & Family (MGEF) has revoked its decision to rate Kim Hyun Joong’s “Please,” from his album Break Down, as harmful to youth. The album was released last June.
This is a follow-up measure from the legal decision made by Seoul Administrative Court in December 2, 2011, in favor of Kim’s agency when the agency filed a revocation suit on the rating.
The court reached the verdict on the grounds that even if some expressions suggestive of drinking or smoking are included in the lyrics, their direct influence on the rise in teens’ drinking or smoking is indeterminable.
The verdict is also based on the fact that the main theme of “Please” is feelings of missing an ex-girlfriend, so some part of the lyrics relevant to drinking or smoking are considered to be necessary to effectively express the narrator’s sorrow over the breakup.
In July last year, the MGEF decided to rate the song as harmful to youth because of the lyrics that mentioned drinking and smoking.
Recently, B2ST won a similar legal decision in favor of one of their songs.
In B2ST’s case, the Seoul Administrative Court ordered the MGEF to revoke its previous decision rating the song “On Rainy Days” as harmful. This song also had some lyrics that mentioned drinking.
B2ST’s agency had filed its suit on September 25, saying, “’On Rainy Days’ has a few expressions related to drinking. We believe that the relevant lyrics in no way encourage or glamorize teens’ drinking. The main theme of the song is just the sadness of parting.”
Source: Starnews
