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LE SSERAFIM's upcoming song Ash was deemed ineligible for broadcast by KBS (Korean Broadcast System). On March 5, KBS unveiled a list of upcoming songs that were ineligible for broadcasting, which included the b-side track of LE SSERAFIM's album HOT.
According to Money Today News, the song was deemed ineligible due to its "problematic" lyrics. As per the media outlet, the reasons for ineligibility are "lyrics that glorify physical and mental abuse such as self-harm or are cruel and disgusting".
Furthermore, the song would only be eligible to broadcast once it is re-evaluated by the committee after the problematic excerpts are completely omitted or revised.
Due to this, KBS gained massive backlash from fans as they believe that the song may be about the struggles of the LE SSERAFIM members or they might be attempting to spread awareness about the sensitive issues through their music.
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The fans took to X to express their frustration online as they wished to listen to the song without it being modified due to the broadcasting restrictions.
"I just wished Korea would stop censuring important matter like this, these kind of difficult feelings should be talked about openly and it’s not about "glorifying" them. I'm so glad our girls are strong enough to write a song about this though, after everything...," a fan wrote.
"kbs stop playing fr like i dont need this song changed or anything bc yall pearl-clutching over shit people actually deal with. and for le sserafim that was most DEFINITELY the case seeing the height of the constant hate they were getting. LEAVE IT TF ALONE!!," a fan added.
"Everytime a song is ineligible for broadcast it’s a banger that speaks its truth. I’ll look forward to it," a user stated.
As per the reports, Huh Yunjin of LE SSERAFIM is credited as the co-writer and composer of the track. Fans presume that the lyrics of the upcoming song Ash may be stimulated by the massive criticism and hate comments the girl group received following their Coachella performance in 2024.
"I genuinely think this album will break me…. this was the first album recorded during/after the hate train," a user commented.
"This only means this song is probably going to be about their struggles, the hate they recieved (and still recieve) and if it REALLY has mentions of s*icide on it we know who's guilty, I smell a HIT," a fan mentioned.
"kbs, as usual, you will be dealt with for not broadcasting ash along with everyone else who will inevitably be like “omg i can’t believe le sserafim had to deal with all that poor girls” while they mass delete tweets from their accounts and rt self help hotlines," a user wrote.
About LE SSERAFIM’s upcoming album HOT: concept, trilogy, world tour, and more
The Source Music girl group LE SSERAFIM, including Sakura, Chaewon, Huh Yunjin, Kazuha, and Eunchae, are gearing up for their upcoming fifth mini album HOT. The album would mark the last part of their album trilogy, including EASY and CRAZY, which were released in 2024, respectively. HOT is a five-track album, including the title track with the same name and B-side songs like Born Fire, Come Over, Ash, and So Cynical (Badum).
Besides Ash, all the songs alongside the titular tune have been deemed eligible by the KBS music review deliberation for broadcasting on KBS television shows, radio shows, and more.
Meanwhile, following the album release, LE SSERAFIM will embark on a new journey with their ‘EASY CRAZY HOT’ World Tour, which will commence with two inaugural concerts at the Incheon Arena in Incheon, South Korea, on April 19 and 20, 2025.
The group will perform in Asian cities like Bangkok, Hong Kong, Nagoya, Saitama, Osaka, Kitakyushu, Manila, Taipei, and Singapore. Source Music further confirmed the North America tour with dates and cities to be announced in September.
LE SSERAFIM’s HOT is scheduled to be released for public streaming on Friday, March 14, 2025, at 1 pm KST on major music service platforms. The official music video of HOT is also set to be released on the same day on the group's YouTube channel.
