Asian Junkie Asian pop. Without discretion.
The saga of Korea’s ban of minors from Lady Gaga‘s concert in Seoul continues on, as more details have emerged, including contradictory standards within the government itself, and strong implications that the conservative Christians in Korea were a significant factor in the ban.
Korea is the only country in Asia to have put an age ban on Lady Gaga’s tour.
The ban touched off a backlash by fans, teens and cultural critics, who say the authorities at the very least have underestimated the intelligence of Korea’s youth – and at the worst have made the country look stupid. They pointed out that Lady Gaga has performed in Korea before, in 2009, and then anyone over age 12 could go.
Remember the excuse that “Just Dance” was the reason the concert was banned in Korea? Well it came out in 2008. So yeah.
The board said one song from the concert’s set list, “Just Dance,” was the main reason for the age ban.
“In July 2011, the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family added the song ‘Just Dance’ on their list of ‘harmful content for youth,’” Ahn Chee-wan, an official at the ratings board, told the Korea JoongAng Daily. “Along with this song, we also looked at several music videos by the artist and decided that the content was too provocative for children under 18.”
The ministry’s Commission on Youth Protection is in charge of reviewing songs by local and foreign artists and deciding age limits for them. “Just Dance” was banned for children under 18 last year because its lyrics mention “drinking and other provocative behavior,” according to the commission.
Soon afterwards, the ministry released a statement that read, “The Korea Media Rating Board’s claim that the age rating for the Lady Gaga concert in Seoul was changed because the song ‘Just Dance’ is one of the songs that our ministry named as content harmful for youth is not true.”
“We [the Gender Equality Ministry] have nothing to do with this decision by the rating board regarding the change in age limit for the Lady Gaga concert,” an official at the ministry told the Korea JoongAng Daily. “I don’t know why the board is involving us in this matter.”
So the Ministry Of Gender Equality And Family‘s Commission On Youth Protection basically just told the Korea Media Rating Board not to blame the mess they created on them … publicly.
So much for hiding behind one song, huh?
The ministry added that in similar cases, including Usher’s concert in 2010 and the Maroon 5 last May, the rating board approved the concerts for people over 12, despite the fact that both concert set lists included songs that were banned for teens under 18 years old.
Again, the fact that there’s explicit content in certain songs isn’t the reason.
So what’s really up here?
Conservative Christians, basically.
Despite numerous local media reports connecting the age limit to anti-Lady Gaga protests by conservative Christian groups and other civic organizations, the board adamantly denies it.
“The protests against Lady Gaga, including the formal letter we got from the Korean Association of Church Communications, had no influence on our decision concerning the Lady Gaga concert,” said Ahn, of the rating board.
Sim Man-sup, the managing director of the Korean Association of Church Communications, told the Korea JoongAng Daily that he feels the group’s efforts were recognized by the government and he’s proud of that.
“I think Hyundai Card, as part of one of the biggest conglomerates in Korea, has the responsibility to not only think about their profits but contributing something good for society,” said Sim.
“This Lady Gaga concert they organized, we feel, was too commercially-driven,” he said, “without the organizer thinking of the damage it would do to our children.”
They say that the Christian groups have no connection to the ban, and while that worked on some people when they still had the facade of certain songs being the true reason, that facade has now been ripped away from them, and they have really nothing else to hide behind.
Some religious figures and parents have said Lady Gaga’s song “Judas” promotes satanic beliefs. Another controversial topic relates to Lady Gaga’s supposed promotion of homosexuality.
“Every country Lady Gaga performs in becomes more lenient towards homosexuality,” said Sim.
NO
NO
NO
NOT MORE LENIENT
“Even in Korea, after she performed in 2009,” he said, “there were civil protests in support of the gay community in Korea. Homosexuality is not a normal sexual orientation. Lady Gaga is helping to spread the culture surrounding homosexuals and making it an issue.”
All I’m gonna say is that every gay dude I know wishes it was that easy to make a straight guy love cock. Just saying.
There, how’s that for imagery? You guys gay yet?
—–
Anyway, Lady Gaga’s Korean fans are understandably pissed and many are speaking out. However, much like Japan and America and everywhere else, the government doesn’t always listen to logic.
Christians ruin everything.
Oh come on, they do a lot of positive too.
but Heechul..
What next?, ban an effeminate boy band concept in Kpop?
Well that sounds good.
:-P
Conservatives are so stupid when it comes to topics like this. “Oh this person supports this and if people sees him/her, they will too.” That’s gotta be the most backward ass logic anybody would ever say. Its like saying I’m watching a Jason movie and go “Wow! I wanna be like him when I grow up!” WTF? People are entitled to their own individual opinion and matter. You can’t influence a person to be attracted to a certain thing unless they are in the first place. I love Ellen Degenerous. But that doesn’t mean I want to become a lesbian, except if I have an attraction to other girls.
If your kids going off doing anything they see on t.v. or people do, what the hell are YOU doing?
Right. Parents should take responsibility for their own fucking kids.
Actually, they do believe that kids watching violent movies and playing violent video games will go out and kill.
So Japan became more lenient toward homosexuality AFTER Lady Gaga came and spread her evilness of same-sex love!?!?!?!?!!??!!??!!!!!!???? (I thought it was Johnnys, manga, anime, Koda Kumi, Hirai Ken, Ayumi Hamasaki, and pretty much everything else because they were pretttttty much cool with homosexuality decades before Gaga….)
Had to know that “one song with bad lyrics” thing was BS because if that’s the case, maaaaany artists would’ve been banned from performing in Korea due to that lame excuse. So when did this Christian group started to be everyone’s parents?
If that Christian group got enough time to talk about what’s a ‘normal sexuality’ or not, they need to go bust down the doors of entertainment agencies that sexually assault their employees (whom many are underage too..) Which one is really damaging youth? Nasty old men raping & traumatizing people or some dudes/girls liking the same gender?
I wouldn’t say Japan is cool with homosexuality yet. They just ignore it.
I don’t think being openly gay is necessarily accepted yet. As in, there’s not as many gay people coming out as there probably should be.
It’s something that they don’t generally flip out about, but would rather it be kept behind closed doors, IMO.
But I think compared to more public figures, more transgenders, transexuals, host clubs tending to homosexuals, etc (on TV & not) I think it’s more acceptable than in Korea. Is it like England/US? Well I can’t really say that but I do think there’s more things Japan can do when it comes to homosexuality than what the US would do. Coming out and such I can’t exactly say much on that but I think the progress the US had it’s just now or just a mere 10 years ago many many more people started to come out.
That’s true.
Different lifestyles can be seen in the mainstream media in Japan.
Yeah they definatly ignore it – but also in Japan they don’t have religion backing up a disgust or a low tolerance for it. Korea = Christians. It’s Buddhism, Shinto, a mix of those two, or just no religion in Japan, so I think it’s a litttlee different.
Korea isn’t actually that Christian.
Korea actually has quite a few Buddhists, to my knowledge.
Homosexuality is found in many species like Animals, Mammals, and even insects.
Homophobia is found in only one species– Humans!
which one seems unnatural?
My friend who is gay, just read your comment. And he told me to tell you he wants to kiss you! LOL LOL I couldnt agree more! its so crazy that people get caught up in that shit. I cant wait till the time people are seen as equals!
do you think that theres any hope in this world left? ugh
Ha! That’s freaking hilarious!!! haha
Its interesting because no less then a century ago being left-handed was viewed almost like as being “gay” is now. There was a social stigma and repression. And unfair discrimination in a world that was designed and accommodated right-handers. People thought Left-handedness was a sign of the “devil.”
But Now, nobody gives a fuck, if your left-handed(for the most part).So hopefully homosexuality will be viewed in the same way as being left-handed is today, as opposed to the situation only a century ago. I think that there is Hope :-)
and in korea, they still hit kids that are left handed…and force them to learn to use their right..
and i agree with them….left handed people, along with people with outie belly buttons are 90% likely to end up as criminals.
So this Christian Council doesn’t want SK to become a first world nation? Got it.
I wouldn’t be surprised if some mild xenophobia/discrimination was being thrown GaGa’s way.
“GaGa promotes homosexuality: Banned”
“Korean idol group members kiss on stage: No Problem”
it still surprises me how countries like korea and the US are so homophobic. im guessing shit like this will keep on happening specially in korea, since its a really deep social predjudice.
yet, its ridiculous how some gay-ish behaviours in bands are seen as normal but when a foreigner does them its banned?
im guessing gay porn its ok if hidden and with korean actors only
You also have to remember that what you see as gay, koreans dont…
well, you are right, then at this point i’ll have to look up for what they do consider gay lol
I’m quite certain that a male kissing another male has homosexual overtones.
As does looking at them lovingly in the eyes and caressing their hair.
*cough* http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ilydA_D7nY *cough*
How is that not gay? I will never know.
Korea can be confusing, Lol.
I watched about 3.5 mins of that and saw nothing more than skinship between friends…sure, it would be gay as fuck in the west..but its not in korea..
Sure the US has lots of homophobic people but the US doesnt banned anything because its gay…..well, except marriage…..
Conservative religious people are in my mind ruining human progression towards a homogeneous society.
Its not a ban, its an age limit…Just like movies etc.
Being a homogeneous society isnt good either. Look at Korea and China and Japan. Homogeneity doesnt make people more tolerant,it breeds racism and homophobia and all that other shit we have to deal with in the world today. Accepting the differences is progressive. To think differently isnt a problem is what you do with that thinking that becomes the problem.
Homogeneity is boring.
Homogenous as a human collective is what I meant, not as a nation.
I think that rather depends on whether you are part of the homogeneous group or not…as to whether its bad or not i mean.
The people who benefit from the majority won’t like it, naturally.
Conservative Christians are basically the only thing standing in the way of gay marriage as it is.
Difficult to get it passed when many Blacks and Latinos are Christian as well.
lol she perform just dance in Mcountdown sometime ago wearing a very provocative outfit where was the association at the time I guess they were to busy praying
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HZZ_El0LI3A
(gosh I spent too much time in this kpop thing)
Thanks for this. Makes the board look even dumber.
I hate those christian organisations, they give bad name for whole christian community. And being bisexual christian myself I find it offensive how they just can say “Homosexuality is not normal” and get away with it.
because that is what christianity preaches :dunno: they dont give christians a bad name, christianity gives christianity a bad name.
Of all the Gaga songs to hate or claim promotes homosexuality they pick ‘just dance’ my most favourite Gaga song. This was a great time for Gaga before she became pretentious and thinking that her music is life changing and all that bullshit.
I’d probably object to Gaga performing because i’d be scared my child is going to come home with her pretentious attitude.
“There were civil protests in support of the gay community in Korea”
lol,this whole notion that someone can be turned gay is hilarious.
This decision should be left to parents and parents alone. If mom says 13 year old Jimmy cant see Gaga for whatever reason then fine not the government or any religious organisation.
Is Gaga really that pretentious? Just curious because I don’t follow her all that much as an artist.
Me being a fan of her, I can admit that she is. Ever since ‘Bad Romance’ exploded, it seems like her crazy ego of black skulls with tears of rainbows exploded along with it. I think she’s trying too hard to be different from the usual pop star until she comes across as loony and annoying. It’s sad since she has a good voice and her music is the proof of it, but she’s not known for that in the general public. The makeup and outfits, and this persona she has gets the all the glory.
Of course she is. Arrogant as well, I’m sure.
All ambitious and successful people have a bit of that in them. They have to with all the shit they take.
I get what you’re saying but I’m pretty sure a famous person can be both humble and thick-skinned.
They can be, yes, but I would say it’s a rarity.
Some might hide it better than others, but most people who are elite at what they do are at least privately extremely confident, most would call it arrogance.
Gaga’s one of the only artists I’m lenient on being arrogant. Mostly because she’s the part of the few singers/artists who contributes to their music and keeps the lazy pop peers in check by trying to differentiate her sound. Personally, I think her effort in image revived/fueled the MV industry.
I did like her last album, but she promoted the most generic songs off of it, which disappointed me.
But I guess you can’t complain too much with pop music.
Once again, a lot of you guys are talking as westerners…From having grown up in places where the gay rights movement is up and running.
Its only EXTREMELY recently that the west has finally accepted that being gay is not a choice….and even now, there are large sections of society who do not agree with that.
Korea, has almost zero experience of any gay rights movement. Much like the blackface issue that got people so angry before.
People need to realise that in the context of gay rights, korea is decades behind europe and the us. It is silly to criticise so harshly when they do not have the benefit of experience, as you do.
As long as they want the world to accept their popular culture, they will be judged based on how they react on a global scale as well. Experience or not.
It’s ironic that the country that celebrates and promotes gays so much (boy band members) is so homophobic.
They also ban porn production in Korean yet have the highest per-capita consumption of porn in the world.
I’m sure religious groups are a factor, but certainly not the main reason. We have a way higher percentage of religious nuts in America compared with Korea, yet we’re way more tolerant as a country.
Boy bands are not gay. They may appear gay to you, but that doesnt mean they are.
Korea – under 18s not allowed to lady gaga concert
USA – ‘GOD HATES FAGS’ group protests funerals of young gay kids..
Yeah, so much more tolerant. While koreans dislike the concept of homosexuality, there is no real hate. No vicious and malicious hatred of gays..No gay bashing like there is in the US/UK.
Do you have a link to korea being the biggest consumers of porn? Are you referring to that bullshit ‘lust’ rating thing?
America is far more tolerant of homosexuality than Korea.
It’s not even close.
Part of the US, sure.
The mainstream media does and popular culture does, which is what matters in the end.
I didn’t say they were all gay. But I’d put my money on about half of them being gay. Does it surprise you that a career that primarily involves dancing would attract many gay guys?
As far as the porn consumption stats go – here you go. Korea spends more on porn than any other country by a wide margin:
http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/nation/2011/04/117_80964.html
Similarly, in the USA, the most conservative states consume the most porn:
http://polizeros.com/2009/02/28/the-biggest-consumer-of-online-porn-is-utah/
Im sorry but do you just believe anything you read? Surely anyone with common sense would question those numbers..
Korea, have a population 5 times smaller than the USA consumes more than 10 times as much porn? That didnt give you cause to question?
10 times as much as the US, the biggest pornography producing nation on earth?
This is korea we are talking about….they pirate EVERYTHING!!!
Pornography is a 25 BILLION dollar industry in korea? really? really?
So, lets just get this in perspective…South Korea, with the most heavily militarised border on earth, spends the same amount of money on internet porn as they do on their entire military?
Now either you enjoy crack rather too much, or you dont engage your brain when you read ridiculous shit online.
Per capita, dude.
I know its per capita…Im saying the numbers are bullshit.
Did you read the links? They say south korea SPENDS 27 billion USD on porn media. Whereas the US only spends 13 billion…
What matters is the Newsweek statistic, not the one from that random site at the end.
the newsweek article is based on the numbers from the shitty site.
Touche.
Either they just did terrible journalism or the Korea Times did.
Either way, doesn’t really affect my view. We both know the reality is that the sex industry in Korea is booming.
“…Yeah, so much more tolerant. While koreans dislike the concept of homosexuality, there is no real hate. No vicious and malicious hatred of gays..No gay bashing like there is in the US/UK…”
You don’t see “gay-bashing” in Korea because there are almost no openly-gay people there. The culture forces them to live their entire life in the closet.
Sure – in certain conservative parts of the US, it’s probably the same way. But as a whole, it’s much easier to be gay in the US. And there are certain parts of the country where openly gay communities thrive. Any places like in Korea? Doubt it.
The US has many famous and successful gay actors, actresses, musicians, artists, politicians, athletes, etc. Gays may not have all the same legal rights as straight people (marriage in most states), but it’s getting pretty close. The US military now allows openly gay people, as well.
If I were gay, I’d much rather deal with the occasional ignorant name-calling bigot in the US than have to live my entire life in the shadows, as many gay Koreans do.
Plenty of openly gay people in itaewon…plenty of openly transgender people too. Plenty of clubs catering to same.
and you think the reason gay bashers bash gays is because they are openly gay? so they see a gay guy on the street and fly into such a rage as to beat him? you dont think there needs to be some kind of deep seated hatred there to begin with?
Dude, Korea isn’t even close to Japan in the realm of public figures who are gay or transgendered, much less America.
There’s only one out celebrity who is gay and he’s barely a celebrity, primarily known for being … well … openly gay.
I think it’s more of a double standard
it’s ok to do stereotypical gay acts
like jo kwon, key, brian joo for example
but if you actually are gay…it’s a no no
Wow, being “lenient” on homosexuality like it’s something we should keep strict regulation on… Pathetic. They treat it like it’s something that’s gonna contaminate their children.
BTW off topic but are you going to do an Ask Asian Junkie feature soon?
Been busy, but yes.
No rush, I’d rather you take the time to put out a good article. I was just curious.
did that guy actually just say that every country lady gaga performs in becomes more lenient towards homosexuality? LOL what? its funny how they seem to think homosexuality is so *unnatural* yet homosexuality is present in so many different types of animals and has been around for centuries.
the real problem here is the view of homosexuality in korea and other countries is honestly so illogical and just….dumb. honestly religious conservatives like these people are the worst.
also lady gaga promotes homosexuality but heechul making out with his group members on stage doesn’t? so its ok when korean idols do gay stuff but its not ok for lady gaga to do it? -_- is it just me or is there some racial discrimination/xenophobia going on here?
Doubt it. They didn’t have an issue with black artists performing banned songs.
ugh i hate homophobia! sexualilty should not define you as a person!
I don’t buy it. There’s a small percentage of Christians in SK. I don’t think they can be blamed for anything tbh.
It’s not about religion, it really is just about homophobia and other issues. Remember that 1 episode lesbian drama which was described as “horrendous, disgusting, insert more negative things here” and remember BoA’s incident? Didn’t she perform in a LGBT related event and them koreans questioned her and basically was ashamed that she supported the lgbt community. I mean, if even Boa gets backlash, Gaga would too.
No matter who was behind it, christians or not, it is still dumb.
Alright, and let’s be honest, where does a ton of the homophobia in modern culture come from?
I’ve always thought it was just a pre-programmed thing and not about religion but that’s just me.
Nobody was ever born hating gays man…Homophobia is a direct product of societal influence. The christian lobby is powerful.
What I mean was, most people grew up thinking heterosexual relationships is the only option… so anything other than that is unnatural.
Sorry, badly worded comment. Yes, no one is born homophobic.
Thinking only heterosexual relationships are acceptable is part of what they are trying to change though.
30% of South Korea are christians…
It’s 80% in America.
The problem arises when people have to come face to face with reality. Koreans can be as gay as they please as long as they won’t admit it openly. Heechul can easily get away with making out with gyus on stage just saying “I’m a healthy korean man” and “I like Sohee” though I don’t know how liking that fugly being can count as being straight
I still find this hypocrisy so funny in korea. Because they are so down for boyband skinship and kissing or “fan service” which looks homo to me but yet when somebody that’s pro gay wants to sing in their country they have a hissy fit. That’s rich.
Its not classed as gay in korea…and it really isnt in most cases..
friendships are extremely close in korea..amongst normal people…amongst a group of people who live and work together? even more so.
Coming from America, it always astounds me when I hear about how teachers and students have such close relationships in high school/college.
Some of the stuff, like being invited to a student’s house for dinner, kind of creeps my western-programmed mind out.
What the fuuuck…. This is the kinda shit that reminds me why I haven’t gone to Church in 5 years.
Korea makes me giggle.