Beast album warning to be removed

The Seoul Administrative Court ruled on Jan. 5 that Cube Entertainment could remove a “harmful to youth” label from the Beast song “On a Rainy Day,” the latest in a trend of decisions that have reversed requirements imposed by the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family.
The ministry claimed that the album encouraged underage drinking, but the court clearly disagreed with this finding.
“It should be remembered that words in songs are used as a tool to convey various emotions,” the court declared in its ruling. “In this song, the reference to alcohol is used to paint a picture of the sadness felt by a dejected lover, and there is no promotion of alcohol. There is in nothing in the song that encourages youth to drink.”
Previously, the court also ruled in favor of Keyeast Entertainment, which brought a case against the ministry in early December for the same rating to be lifted from Kim Hyun-joong’s song “Please.” SM Entertainment filed a similar case in August and was also successful.

By Carla Sunwoo [carlasunwoo@joongang.co.kr]