Rapper E-Sens pushes back against bill to restrict harmful music, calling it 'censorship'

Amid growing legislative debate over restricting the distribution of music deemed harmful to minors, rapper E-Sens (real name Kang Min-ho, 39) has pushed back, calling the proposed measures a "violation of freedom of expression."

E-Sens served a prison sentence on drug charges and previously drew controversy after releasing a song suggesting he had lied to a judge during sentencing in hopes of receiving a lighter punishment.

On Saturday, E-Sens shared a news article on social media about the so-called bill to prevent songs promoting hatred and crime, and wrote that "censorship must not be revived" and questioned "who gets to set the standards, and who gets to decide."

He also drew an analogy, saying, "If a song makes you uncomfortable, can't the individual who finds it uncomfortable just not listen to it?" and adding, "Isn't this like saying we should ban shooting games because people play games where they shoot guns?"

The legislation consists of partial amendments to the Music Industry Promotion Act and the Act on Promotion of Information and Communications Network Utilization and Information Protection, introduced by Rep. Kim Hyeon of the Democratic Party of Korea. The bills would require music distributors to independently verify whether a song could be considered harmful to minors, and establish procedures allowing relevant authorities to request that platforms suspend or restrict the spread of harmful content once they become aware of material that could pose clear and serious harm to young people.

Rep. Kim said Tuesday, "Recently, some minors have been releasing songs with lyrics that not only contain insults, slander and hate speech targeting others, but also promote serious crimes such as pedophilia, murder and drug use — and these are spreading unchecked through overseas social media platforms." She said the bills were intended "to close the legal blind spots in youth protection and swiftly block the spread of harmful content."

E-Sens, who is from Gyeongsan, North Gyeongsang Province, also weighed in on a separate controversy over the use of far-right online community Ilbe (Ilgan Best) expressions, sparked by a remark made by Won-i of the group RESCENE. He wrote on social media, "Because of Ilbe, even using my hometown dialect is seen as strange," adding, "I can't believe it. That's a no-no."

E-Sens was indicted on marijuana charges in 2012 at the height of his career, effectively halting his activities. He was later sentenced to one year and six months in prison on the same charges in 2015 and was released after serving his full term in October 2016. In August 2017, he released a song through an online music platform that sparked controversy for containing lyrics that read: "I'm sorry, Your Honor — half of what I said on sentencing day was a lie / I hated the pills they gave me at the hospital, they made me feel stupid / But the 91 days I spent in that cell were just too horrifying / So every day I wrote a letter of reflection, like a writer."