KCSC Dismisses Bohemian Rhapsody Same-Sex Kiss Deletion Case

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Isul] The Korea Communications Standards Commission (KCSC) dismissed the agenda that SBS violated LGBTQ+ rights by editing out same-sex kiss scenes while broadcasting the movie 'Bohemian Rhapsody.'

The KCSC Broadcasting Review Subcommittee held a meeting on the 17th and decided to dismiss the case regarding SBS's broadcast of 'Bohemian Rhapsody' as a Lunar New Year special movie on February 13, 2021.

Movie 'Bohemian Rhapsody' stills
[Photo by 20th Century Fox Korea]

SBS aired the movie 'Bohemian Rhapsody,' which depicts the life and music of Queen's vocalist Freddie Mercury. The kiss scene between Mercury and his same-sex partner Jim Hutton was deleted, and the kiss scene between male cast members was blurred. Complaints were raised claiming that the edits reflected hatred and discrimination against sexual minorities.

Released on October 31, 2018, 'Bohemian Rhapsody' attracted about 9.94 million viewers. At the time of theatrical release, the Korea Media Rating Board rated the film suitable for viewers aged 12 and over. SBS initially classified the viewing rating as restricted to those 19 and older, but after controversy, adjusted it to 15 and older.

The National Human Rights Commission of Korea stated that "improvements are necessary as it may promote or reinforce negative perceptions and prejudices against sexual minority groups."

Commissioner Jung Min-young said, "If a same-sex kiss scene was filmed in a drama but not included in the broadcast, it may be the broadcaster's own judgment and thus not subject to review." He added, "The movie was watched by about 10 million people domestically, yet it was arbitrarily edited during the broadcast."

Commissioner Jung expressed a 'recommendation' opinion, saying, "Although the National Human Rights Commission dismissed the case, special attention is needed to ensure that minority rights are not violated."

Commissioner Kim Woo-seok argued, "Freedom of expression is important at the content level, and films are granted broader protection," adding, "At the broadcasting platform level, public opinion cannot be ignored." He further stated, "It is difficult to handle this within the regulatory framework," and noted, "The scenes were deleted during the Lunar New Year broadcast but not edited in subsequent airings, which can be seen as somewhat accommodating the social atmosphere," thus giving a 'dismissal' opinion.

Commissioner Yoon Sung-ok said, "Removing the same-sex kiss scenes present in the original film is problematic from a human rights perspective for sexual minorities," but also noted, "There is a need to induce broadcasters' self-regulation, and the broadcaster reflected viewers' opinions and subsequently aired the original version," giving a 'dismissal' opinion.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.