BTS’s latest song “Permission To Dance” has been banned from being played in gyms throughout Seoul, South Korea.
Authorities there believe that working out to tunes with over 120 beats per minute poses a health risk during the ongoing pandemic.
They have also said that fast songs will cause people to work out more fiercely, breathe quicker and splash sweat on others and therefore run the risk of spreading the virus further.
BTS’s label HYBE has previously described “Permission To Dance” as a song “that will make your heart beat to the rhythm of BTS’s positive energy”.
The health measures have not just affected BTS songs, but other K-pop groups such as Enhypen have also seen their song “Drunk Dazed” banned from Seoul gyms.
Gym owners in Seoul are not impressed with the new measures. Kang Hyun Ku, a gym owner in the capital, told Reuters: “My biggest question is whether playing classical music or BTS songs has proven to have any impact on spreading the virus.”
Last week (10 July), South Korea recorded its highest ever number of new daily Covid-19 infections within a 24-hour period, according to South Korea’s Disease Control and Prevention Agency. From today (19 July), coronavirus restrictions have been tightened to the strictest level possible in Seoul as well as neighbouring regions.
“Permission To Dance” was co-written by Ed Sheeran, Snow Patrol’s Steve Mac, Jenna Andrews and frequent Sheeran collaborator, Johnny McDaid. Sheeran had previously collaborated with BTS on their 2019 single “Make It Right”, which appeared on Map Of The Soul: Persona.
Last week, “Permission to Dance” was the most-watched video in the world, accumulating 152 million plays during its first seven days on YouTube.
The video was liked more than one million times before it premiered live and in its first 24 hours alone, the clip earned more than 72 million views.
