The Infamous Broadcast Incident of 2005: A Look Back 20 Years Later

On July 30, 2005, a shocking incident occurred during a live broadcast of MBC's Music Camp (생방송 음악캠프) that would go down in history as one of the worst broadcasting accidents in South Korea. The show featured indie bands, with the group Lux (럭스) performing first, supported by around 20 punk musicians who were given a chance to appear on national television.

During their performance, two members—one from Couch (카우치) and another from Spiky Bratz (스파이키 브랫츠)—unexpectedly removed their pants, exposing themselves on stage. Although the camera quickly shifted away, the incident was visible for approximately 6 to 7 seconds. The show's hosts, MC Mong (MC몽) and Shin Ji (신지), expressed their apologies with serious expressions.

Following the incident, police were called to the scene, and the leader of Lux, Won Jong-hee (원종희), along with the two members involved in the exposure, were taken to the police station. Both Lux and Couch were banned from appearing on the three major broadcasting networks, and the production team of Music Camp faced severe penalties, leading to the show's cancellation.

In May 2023, PD Kwon Jae-young (권재영) reflected on the incident in a YouTube video, revealing that the writer of the program is now his wife. He recounted how the production team immediately removed the performers from the stage and reported the incident to the police, with not only the individuals involved but also the responsible PD and writer being summoned as witnesses.

Kwon further noted that the individuals involved underwent drug tests, which returned negative results, emphasizing the shocking nature of the incident occurring while they were sober. He stated that the public's perception of Hongdae's indie bands deteriorated significantly, causing a setback for the scene that lasted over a decade, while hip-hop began to rise in popularity.

The members of Couch and Spiky Bratz were detained for about three months before facing trial, resulting in sentences of 10 months and 8 months in prison, respectively, along with two years of probation. In the aftermath, music broadcasts adopted a policy of delaying live broadcasts by 5 to 10 seconds, and sometimes up to 5 minutes, to prevent similar incidents, ensuring that backup footage was always ready in the control room.

Last year, Lux's leader, Won Jong-hee, publicly apologized once again. In a video on his YouTube channel, he stated, "On July 30, 2005, there was an incident of genital exposure during a live broadcast of MBC's Music Camp. I sincerely apologize for the trouble caused to society at that time." He expressed his commitment to live with regret for his actions and reiterated his apologies for the incident, emphasizing that he has been making efforts to apologize in various settings over the years.