LE SSERAFIM’s New Song Hit With “Vulgarity” Ban From KBS
LE SSERAFIM are set to release their second studio album, PUREFLOW pt.1, on May 22.
The eleven-track project went through KBS‘s song review process ahead of release, which determines whether songs are eligible for broadcast on the channel.
Out of the tracklist, two songs did not make it through and “failed” the review.
BIRCH SCAR🍃👁️
✰ 2nd Studio Album ‘PUREFLOW’ pt.1
2026.05.22 1PM (KST) | 12AM (ET)💿Pre-save & Pre-orderhttps://t.co/mG1oYRxyGz#LE_SSERAFIM #르세라핌 #PUREFLOW_pt1 pic.twitter.com/RwG4ROgRTR
— SOURCEMUSIC (@SOURCEMUSIC) May 11, 2026
One of the excluded tracks is the outro, “Liminal Space,” which KBS simply noted is “a conversation, not a song” and left out of the review entirely.
YUSU LILY🪷🩵
✰ 2nd Studio Album ‘PUREFLOW’ pt.1
2026.05.22 1PM (KST) | 12AM (ET)💿Pre-save & Pre-orderhttps://t.co/mG1oYRx0R1#LE_SSERAFIM #르세라핌 #PUREFLOW_pt1 pic.twitter.com/QzZxsKivf2
— SOURCEMUSIC (@SOURCEMUSIC) May 12, 2026
The other is what got people talking. “Saki (ft. Aliyah’s Interlude)” was ruled ineligible due to “abusive language, vulgarity, and crude expressions” supposedly in its lyrics.
KBS regularly flags songs for similar reasons, but the ruling still caught fans off guard. The group’s music hasn’t typically drawn this kind of attention from broadcast regulators, so the decision raised a lot of questions about what exactly the lyrics contain.
Saki just got leaked https://t.co/3b9nx23527 pic.twitter.com/9aaiUOYksU
— Elucii 🌊 (@eunssera) May 13, 2026
"swear words, slang and vulgar expressions" SAKURA IS GOING TO BE IN THE MIC SCREAMING "FUCK YOU BITCH ASS HATERS, MF I'M AN ICON" https://t.co/HIp3slhpsz pic.twitter.com/T8btesoTo3
— PAT(RICE)REECE⁷🪩🥳🎉⊙⊝⊜ 🏳️🌈 IS SEEING BTS! (@CANDYDROPKOO) May 13, 2026
“abusive language, vulgarity, and crude expressions” https://t.co/zhY2KDhKWx pic.twitter.com/rvwtWA4iww
— pê 🌊🧘 (@tonight1might) May 13, 2026
Fans took to social media to speculate, with reactions ranging from curious to surprised.
