I began thinking about this little section on Friday so I did. You know I was just tinkering about on my computer, going through some ideas and potential things to write about for my Korean Blog. I really wasn't centering around any particular topic for tonight as this is the first one. Kind of ironic that, in the complete, total and utter throws of an open mind on this, I happened to come across the following article on www.ninemsn.com.au......
Rapper questioned over 'obscene' performance
" South Korean rapper G-Dragon is under investigation for a risque performance during which he allegedly feigned sexual intercourse with a female dancer, prosecutors say.
The 21-year-old star, a member of hip-hop group Big Bang, was questioned Thursday for 90 minutes by prosecuting authorities in Seoul, they said.
G-Dragon, whose real name is Kwon Ji-Yong, allegedly mimed sexual intercourse with a female dancer in a bed during a concert in December. He also sang two X-rated songs before a crowd which included many under-age fans.
"I didn't think I was conducting an obscene performance," the singer was quoted as telling prosecutors. He also said he was not aware the two songs had been X-rated, meaning they cannot be performed in front of, or sold to, minors.
An obscene performance is punishable by a jail term of up to one year or $4937 in fines.
Prosecutors said they would decide in a week or two whether to press charges. ""( www.ninemsn.com.au Feb 5 2010 )
Yep team, its basically another pop star performing in such a public manner that the powers that be in the relevant state where the performance took place deem to be of a ..well.... questionable nature.
Obviously, I was not in attendance at this performance so I will refrain from labelling the performance to be obscene as the headline has indeed suggested. I will indeed put forward some thoughts on the matter in a little while, but first I think it would be good to do a little background on who G-Dragon is and where he has evolved from as an artist ( well, according to what the net says about him anyway ).
G-Dragon is the stage name given to Kwon Ji-Wong, a 21 year old rapper from the successful Korean Boy band Big Bang. Big Bang rose to prominence back in 2006, and they are part of the YG Entertainment stable, which also has other acts such as 2NE1, Se7en, and Gummy, which have all had some form of success in the Korean Pop Arena.
Amongst driving forces within the Korean Pop arena, Big Bang have indeed been a leader of the pack, a mantle I believe they share well with other acts such as TVXQ, Wondergirls, BoA, Lee Hyo Ri, and Epik High to name a few.
Big Bang have also been seen as culturally impactual upon the social and cultural norms of Korean Youth and Pop culture. Basically, many of the fashion trends present among Korean young people have arisen in some way due to the trend being exposed by members of Big Bang. From Corn Rows to tight jeans, from skinny jeans to high top sneakers, from big bang scarves to shutter shades. Yep they have had a hand in it.
They certainly have stretched boundaries. Only this time, well.... questions are now being raised about the appropriateness of the boundaries being pushed.
This isnt the first time that G-Dragon has been in the headlines for questionable reasons. But for the purposes of this blog, we will just keep it centered on the latest issue.
Allegations have been levelled at G - Dragon centering around a supposedly implied public sexual act that took place on stage at his first solo concert late last year, in front of an audience containing a fair amount of minors.
The alleged sexual act basically involved bedding a female member of his dance team so as to imply sexual intercourse on stage.
The Korean Ministry of Family, Health and Welfare sought Prosecutor help and are seeking to determine whether the performance is deemed harmful to Korean youth, and whether the performance broke any laws relating to illicit acts being shown to minors, violating any youth protection laws, and indeed any public performance laws on the whole.
As a side note, I wish to thank http://myonlinehaven.wordpress.com for the above info. For the actual article on the above, you can access it here.
http://myonlinehaven.wordpress.com/2010/02/08/g-dragon-was-secretly-summoned-for-public-prosecution/
So there you have it team.
Personally, I feel that 2 very strong questions do arise, and they form here .. IS IT ILLEGAL AND UNETHICAL v IS IT ARTISTIC EXPRESSION ??
Obviously there is certainly division on this issue. Some say its illegal and to be frank I feel they have very strong grounds to feel this way. Some say that G-Dragon was using the act as a form of artistic expression, and believe it or not, I also do sympathise with this argument also.
The one very important consideration that needs to be acknowledged here though is that the act took place in front of minors, and its as a result of this that I really feel that G-Dragon has gone too far here and has crossed the line.
I basically think that he should not have acted that way in front of an audience that contained people under the legal age of consent. I might have felt differently had the audience been over the legal age of consent and fully capable of understanding the nature of the performance. However, young, impressionable, unsure and potentially confused minds may have been unduly influenced by such actions. I understand that youth are sexually explorative, pubically developing, and discovering who they are and their place in the world, but boundaries are in place for reasons.
Youth Protection is paramount I believe, and the more we can take this on as responsible adults, the better society we will indeed create.
I must admit though that I am not sure about what the prosecutors should do to G-Dragon and his team. I would, however, like to see some form of reformation go on. I honestly believe that G-Dragon has the potential to be a good, well liked and respectable entertainer, and yes at times he will screw up and make mistakes. He will cause controversy. He will also incite rage from time to time. What his team amy need to do in future is be fully aware of the potential ramifications of what happens on stage and to maybe be a little more diligent in understanding the potential consequences of certain actions.
Another thing I would like to see happen is to maybe introduce policies for what can and can't happen at all - age events, so as to separate any potential issues and contain them, as appropriate, for shows and performances that are only attended by those of suitable age.
Hmmm...... just a thought......
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