The reception of ‘Formula Of Love: O+T=<3’ in South Korea was not what the TWICE girls expected. The South Korean girl band faced their first censorship for their single “ICON”, which was censored on a radio station after failing to pass approval to broadcast it.
After the success of their first fully English song, “The Feels,” the girls presented their third full-length album that includes 17 songs. The release of the album has thrilled ONCE (fandom of the group), however, the problem with the radio station caused some annoyance with them.
On November 10, a Twitter user reported that “ICON” had not been accepted to be played on KBS radio spots because “the lyrics contain curses and vulgar expressions.” The netizen expressed her annoyance that the song had not yet come out, and notified fans that the single would become the most rebellious era of the girl group.
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According to reports from the South Korean media, Korean Broadcasting System, known by the acronym KBS, is one of the most important radio broadcasters in the country. Therefore, they analyze the songs to see if the content is suitable for all audiences. Seeing that the lyrics to TWICE’s new song included a “damn”, they decided to apply censorship.