Pink Venom, the new song from K-pop girl group Blackpink, has been deemed unfit for broadcast by South Korean broadcaster KBS.
According to South Korean media, the song has also been excluded from KBS’ Music Bank chart due to the mention of a brand name in the lyrics.
The offending line was, “This the life of a vandal, masked up, and I’m still in Celine”, which was rapped by Blackpink member Lisa, who is also a global ambassador for the French luxury brand.
The mention of Celine was said to be in violation of Article 46 of the country’s Broadcasting Regulations, which restrict broadcasts from mentioning a brand name or product specifically.
It was understood that YG Entertainment, Blackpink’s agency, did not apply for a re-evaluation.
However, Pink Venom is still included in the music charts of other South Korean broadcasters, such as MBC’s Show Champion, Mnet’s M Countdown and SBS’s Inkigayo.
Blackpink dropped Pink Venom on Aug 19, ahead of the release of their second full-length album Born Pink next Friday.
The song has soared to the top of several music charts after its release, including the Billboard Global 200 and Spotify’s Global Top 50 chart.
The girl group, which also consists of Jisoo, Jennie and Rose, will embark on a nine-month world tour in October. They will visit at least 26 cities, including Singapore and Malaysia, through June next year. – The Straits Times/Asia News Network