Rapper 'B-Free' Booked for Interfering with People Power Party Election Campaign... Frequent Controversies in the Past as Well

Disrupted Election Campaign Site 3 Times Since Last Month
Verbal Abuse to Election Officials: "What Kind of Politicians Are You?"

Rapper BeFree (real name Choi Seong-ho) has been booked on charges of obstructing the election campaign of Kim Jae-seop, a candidate from the People Power Party running in the April general election for Seoul Dobong-gap. On the 4th, the Dobong Police Station in Seoul booked BeFree on charges of interfering with election freedom under the Public Official Election Act and is currently investigating him. BeFree is accused of obstructing the election campaign by pushing and verbally abusing A, a campaign staff member of Kim Jae-seop, the People Power Party preliminary candidate for Seoul Dobong-gap, near Ssangmun Station on Seoul Subway Line 4 around 6:10 p.m. on the 16th of last month.

Rapper BeFree (real name Choi Seong-ho) has been booked on charges of obstructing the election campaign of Kim Jae-seop, a candidate from the People Power Party running in the April general election for Seoul Dobong-gap.
[Photo by BeFree Instagram]

At the time, BeFree verbally abused candidate Kim, who was present at the scene, mentioning the Itaewon tragedy, and pushed A, who tried to stop him, according to the investigation. A reportedly suffered injuries requiring two weeks of medical treatment. Additionally, two days before the incident, on the 14th of last month, BeFree approached candidate Kim, who was campaigning underground at Ssangmun Station, and verbally abused him, saying, "What kind of politicians are you?"

Furthermore, around 5:45 p.m. the day before the incident, BeFree again obstructed candidate Kim's campaign at the same location. The police, who responded to a report from Kim’s campaign team, identified BeFree and booked him. The police plan to investigate BeFree regarding his motive and the detailed circumstances of the incident.

Sharp Criticism Toward Police and Unexpected Attacks on BTS and Yoo Jae-suk

Previously, BeFree also directed sharp criticism at the police. Around January, he posted a message calling the police "proud Korean police acting tough in front of disabled people" along with a video of a protest by the National Solidarity for the Elimination of Disability Discrimination (Jeonjangyeon). At the time, he harshly criticized the police blocking the protest, saying, "Are you doing this because of disabled people? Are you human? Do you want to hit disabled people?" which sparked controversy.

In addition, BeFree caused controversy by unexpectedly targeting several celebrities, including BTS. In 2013, on the show "Kim Bong-hyun's Hip-hop Invitation," BeFree mentioned BTS members RM and Suga, revealing prejudice against idol rappers. As this anecdote was repeatedly brought up, BeFree suddenly apologized in 2019, saying, "I apologize for the emotional pain I caused to BTS and their fans."

However, in 2022, BeFree stirred controversy again by criticizing BTS and other celebrities through his new album "FREE THE BEAST 2." The track "The future" contains the lyrics "Gays are trending, giving speeches at the UN," which reminded listeners of BTS, who had delivered speeches twice at the UN General Assembly.

Moreover, the track "Topgol Park" includes lyrics such as "I'm Bang Si-hyuk of Ssangmun, raising a monster inside my pants. Fully grown adults seduce girls with boyish emotions," evoking Bang Si-hyuk, head of HYBE, and RM, formerly known as Rap Monster. The track "Artificial Intelligence Scarecrow" mentions Yoo Jae-suk by name with the lyrics "I'm boring, turn off the TV show," drawing criticism. Additionally, BeFree dissed various entertainers including Kang Ho-dong, Kim Gu-ra, Park Na-rae, and Ji Sang-ryeol, causing further controversy.

Article 237 (Obstruction of Election Freedom) ① Any person who falls under any of the following subparagraphs in relation to an election shall be punished by imprisonment for not more than 10 years or a fine of not less than 5 million won but not more than 30 million won.

1. A person who assaults, intimidates, or induces voters, candidates, persons intending to become candidates, election managers, election liaison officers, election staff, activity assistants, accounting managers, speakers, or elected persons, or unlawfully arrests or detains them, or steals election campaign materials under this Act.
2. A person who obstructs assemblies, speeches, or traffic, or interferes with election freedom by deception, trickery, or other unfair methods.
3. A person who, due to work, employment, or other relationships, forces those under their protection, command, or supervision to support, recommend, or oppose a specific political party or candidate.

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