Youtube Censorship: It's Happening in South Korea, Are We Next?

Excuse us for a break in your regularly scheduled programming to address a recent issue that caught our attention. As avid Youtube users we thought you might find it interesting to hear about a new Youtube censorship law passed in South Korea. An old friend of ours, Snacky Chan, was an influential MC in the Asian-American hip-hop scene in the late 90s and early 2000s. Now, based in South Korea, Roy Kim aka Snacky Chan, still pursues music with his independent Korean hip-hop label Dynasty Muzic. Tonight, he shares some news affecting artists in the far East.

Chan: The South Korean entertainment industry is up in arms over a new law requiring all music videos to be screened by the Korean Media Rating Board before being uploaded onto sites such as Youtube, Vimeo, or any other portal sites on the net. Although claiming to have a democratic government, the new rule sounds like a step in the direction of its Northern counterpart aka Kim Jong ILL land.

The law is a major setback for the rapidly growing Korean music industry which has experienced a boom in 2011, raking in approximately 3.8 billion dollars in big foreign markets such as Japan, Europe, and Southeastern Asia.

Yang Hyun Suk, former member of SeoTaiji, an iconic hip hop group that debuted in the 80's, is now one of the most powerful figures in the Korean music industry. The Asian 'Russell Simmons,' is the top boss at YG Entertainment, home to pop sensations Big Bang, 2ne1, and PSY of 'Oppa Gangnam Style' fame.

Continue reading after the jump'

Founder and CEO of YG Entertainment Yang Hyun Suk

In a recent interview Mr. Yang said, 'Implementing a policy where Music Videos must first be screened before being uploaded online is like splashing cold water over a situation where our music is properly being spread to all the corners of the world,' he continued. 'Instead of trying to be of any help in further spreading our music to the world, I don't understand why they have come up with a policy that only harms the artists and the producers.'

In an effort to keep their videos 'real,' independent and major labels have uploaded a number of sexually suggestive vids before the law took effect last Saturday. One of them, by newly signed indie artist MSG would definitely not have made the cut due to the sexual nature of his vid. 'I think it's embarrassing and an unnecessary obstacle to artistic creativity,' says the 22 year old songwriter. 'For guys like us in the underground, they're taking away the major competitive advantage
we had which was freedom of expression.'

Dynasty Muzik indie artist 'MSG'

Other artists such as Big Bang's leader G-Dragon, also experienced a delay on the release of his new single which was projected to drop on the same day the law took effect, August 18th.

What do you think about this new law?

Check out some of South Korea's talent:

MSG 'Bad'

PSY 'Oppa Gangnam Style' http://youtu.be/9bZkp7q19f0