Ministry scraps age limit on Psy’s hit song, others

The Ministry of Gender Equality and Family on Wednesday withdrew an age restriction on 250 songs including Korean rapper-singer Psy’s previous hit “Right Now.”

In 2010, the ministry imposed an R-rating for the song saying it is “inappropriate and harmful for teenagers” for its lyrics describing drinking and containing vulgar language.

A review committee under the ministry on Wednesday decided to lift the age limit on the song because the lyrics do not directly suggest for the listener to drink or smoke, or promote violent behavior after drinking.

“The song does not damage young people’s emotional development nor impede their awareness as citizens,” the committee said in a statement.

The ministry, however, said the decision must be finalized at an upper committee which will convene on Friday.

The decision came after a Korean Internet user filed an online petition citing the need to lift the age restriction on Psy’s song.

The petitioner claimed that the music video of “Right Now” faces difficulty in attracting more views due to the “adult-only” rating imposed by the government.

By Cho Chung-un (christory@heraldcorp.com)