KBS Bans All H.O.T Songs From Broadcasts, Including “Candy”

TV audiences will no longer be able to hear H.O.T songs on KBS, after a network decision to ban all H.O.T songs.

KBS has deemed that all H.O.T songs, including “Candy” and “Warrior’s Descendant,” are unfit for broadcast, and reclassified them as prohibited songs.

This follows after H.O.T member Tony Ahn was charged for online illegal gambling last year, evoking much public criticism. KBS has decided to place a temporary ban on Tony Ahn appearing on broadcasts, and this extends to videos and songs in which he is featured as well.

He was charged, along with other celebrities such as Lee Su Geun and Tak Jae Hoon, of illegally gambling large sums of money and received a six month prison sentence and one year of probation. The three had admitted to habitual illegal gambling since 2008, bets which totaled hundreds of millions in Korean won.

This means Songs such as “Candy,” a Valentine’s Day favorite, “Happiness,” “Hope” and “We are the Future” won’t be heard on KBS until the ban on Tony Ahn is lifted.

KBS ruled that because “his illegal and immoral actions caused public criticism, we have decided to ban (Tony Ahn) from appearing on broadcasts.” The network stated that a special committee would be called “more specifically, in cases of ‘evasion of military service,’ ‘habitual use of drugs or smoking marijuana,’ ‘fraud, theft, gambling,’ ‘violence or sexual harassment,’ ‘other civil or criminal charges’ and ‘disturbing public order and morals.’”

If the committee decides that there is a problem with the figure in question, they can take the following measures depending on the importance of the issue: “recommend broadcast restriction”, “temporarily stop all broadcasts (when facing civil or criminal charges)” or “ban from broadcasts.”