The Ministry of Gender Equality & Family has caused some distress amongst fans these past few months for a series of bans they've made on songs they considered 'hazardous media' to the youth. After much confusion and controversy, the deputy director of the ministry, Cho Rin, dictated their direction for banning music by explaining, "We know that it has caused some controversy, but we believe that it is not a problem as we've been consistent with our evaluations." Cho continued, "Depending on the person, lyrics can be interpreted differently. However, music has a large influence on teenagers, so we have no option but to be more strict with our standards of evaluation." When asked why the bans took so long to be made after the albums were already released and promoted, Cho explained, "In the past, we were able to evaluate albums before their release. As of 1996, however, that condition fell out of use and we are only able to evaluate albums after they've already been released. Because it also takes time, final decisions cannot be made until much time has lasped after the album's release and promotions." The ministry also revealed that they will be opening a panel discussion on improvements to the system next month. Netizens criticized the ministry, asking if the action was only in response to the official website crashing after the influx of B2ST fans when they banned "Rainy Days". A representative clarified, "The panel discussion has been scheduled for some time now. For the panel, we have begun to analyze the 2,607 songs that have been banned for the past two years as precedents to the review." Source + Photos: Sports Chosun via Nate