NewJeans draws regulator scrutiny after flashing iPhone while performing

Minji of NewJeans is holding an iPhone 14 Pro during Inkigayo on July 30. [SCREEN CAPTURE]

NewJeans' latest music program performance, featuring an iPhone, has come under the scrutiny of the communications regulator after a number of viewers in Korea deemed it excessive advertising and filed complaints.

The Korea Communications Standards Commission (KCSC) said that it is reviewing whether the NewJeans appearance on Inkigayo, a weekly music show broadcast by SBS, violates the Broadcasting Act or other rules on broadcasting advertising.

“It is true that there were multiple complaints,” a spokesperson for the commission said on Thursday.

“We will decide whether the case should be referred to an internal committee for review.”

Asked when the decision would be reached, the spokesperson indicated that it will take a while, given that the committee is currently reviewing the complaints filed at the beginning of 2023.

The flash point is whether the iPhone feature was pervasive enough to disrupt the flow of the show, with the law stipulating a warning or other penalties, such as fines, if it was.

The Broadcasting Act, which is viewed as stricter than those in place in the U.S. and Japan, bans TV stations from engaging in so-called product placements in a way that “severely hinders the flow of viewing.” Product placements is a form of advertising that incorporates branded goods and services into productions such as TV programs or movies.

The K-pop girl group is a commercial model for Apple's iPhone 14 Pro, and its music video for the title track “ETA” was shot on the high-end smartphone.

In the “ETA” performance which aired on July 30, two NewJeans members — Hanni and Minji — were seen holding an iPhone14 Pro to film themselves and the other members.

The performance with the iPhone lasted about 15 seconds as the music ended, where the scenes of them filming with the handset and their shots intersect.

The viewers — mostly Korean — clashed over whether the performance was appropriate in the comment section for the video of the performance uploaded on YouTube.

A user going by an online moniker midongmango said that “some people could be uncomfortable seeing the products [advertised by NewJeans] on a music show.”

Others say that critics' motivation is due to their disapproval of brands from foreign companies. Apple is a Cupertino, California-based tech giant that is often depicted as a rival to Samsung Electronics.

Even if the case is taken to the regulator’s internal committee, it could conclude that there are no issues with the feature.

The committee could issue a recommendation or warning, with more serious measures including revision of a program, punishment of people in charge and fines.

BY PARK EUN-JEE [park.eunjee@joongang.co.kr]