069: Mischief Accomplished?

When you think that you can't possibly out do Janet Jackson and her wardrobe malfunction, my Korean brethrens have one up the pop diva. And everyone reacts pragmatically as Koreans are known to do... Right.

These are the facts (and my side comments):

• On Saturday MBC, a major television network in Korea, airs a live show called "Music Camp," a show popular with teens.
• A segment called, "Is This Song Good," showcases an underground band. (In a K-Pop infested music landscape, this is a step in the right direction.)
• The band featured to perform is RUX, a punk rock band recommended by five music experts.
• RUX had invited another punk group, Couch, to perform alongside them as dancers. (Why a punk rock group would need dancers, I have no idea.)
• During a music interlude, two members of Couch, Oh and Shin—only their family names are released—come onto center stage and start dancing.
• Oh and Shin have their faces painted (reminiscent of KISS).
• At 4:15, Korean television viewers are treated to a scene that scandalizes the entire nation.
• Yes, for about four to five seconds, Koreans are treated to two full monties. (Fucking awesome!)

• MBC issues an apology, repeatedly, during the remainder of the show, with apology messages streaming across the screen like some breaking news.
• MBC issues an apology on its website.
• MBC issues an apology during its nightly national news hour.

Now for the fun facts:

• A pair of willies incenses the Korean public.
• The public complains (wah-wah-wah) with phone calls, emails, letters, (pitches and forks).
• Because the public bombards MBC website with countless complaints, the server shuts down temporarily.
• Some demand MBC be punished, because apologies aren't enough. (Cries of "Hang 'em, hang 'em!" reverberate across that small PENInSular nation.)
• Some ask "how MBC proposes to compensate teenagers for the emotional shock they sustained." (Um... I'll just let that sit.)
• Oh and Shin are arrested. (Well, sure, a country that pixelates their porns, showing the genitalia is a big You-Think-You-Won't-Get-In-Trouble?)
• Oh and Shin are tested for drug use. (Because only drug fiends do that sort of thing.)
• The test results come out NEGATIVE for drug use.
• But the authority is not satisfied, therefore THE AUTHORITY SENDS SAMPLES OF THEIR HAIR TO THE NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF SCIENTIFIC INVESTIGATION FOR FURTHER DRUG TESTING.
  
• MBC cancels and takes "Music Camp" out of the air for good.
  
• The Korean Broadcasting Commission, the nation’s broadcasting regulator, announces on Monday that it would take more than a week before deciding on the proper punishment for the network. (Burn 'em, Burn 'em.)

Here are the news links: here, here, here, and here.

"I can show my dick, but not my face."

Addendum (2 Aug, 2005)
The comedy continues:

• The mayor of Seoul, Lee Myung-bak, on Monday, suggests the city make a blacklist of artists that will be excluded from Seoul City events, targeting those in the Hongdae area, an area known in Seoul for its vibrant underground, indie music scene. (Um... fascist!)
  
• Members of the musican community in the Hongdae area hold a news conference, to apologize for the action of the two flashers, but also to warn that the incident should not be used to condemn the entire indie culture, and to call on MBC to reinstall "Music Camp." (The most sensible thing anyone or group has done and said so far.)

It's all here and here.