Japanese band pulls new song after plagiarism controversy over resemblance to Kim Kwang-seok hit

▲ This photo of Japanese indie band Super Tozanbu is screenshot from its X post. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

SEOUL, Oct. 2 (Yonhap) -- Japanese indie band Super Tozanbu has withdrawn its new song “Sanbo” following controversy over its resemblance to late South Korean singer Kim Kwang-seok’s “Where the Wind Blows.”

On its official website Wednesday, the band said, “Many have pointed out that ‘Sanbo’ is very similar to Kim Kwang-seok’s ‘Where the Wind Blows.’ We have decided to take the criticism seriously and will sequentially withdraw the track while halting the release of related videos.”

Released on Sept. 10, “Sanbo” had drawn criticism for having a main melody strikingly similar to Kim’s 1994 song. The band claimed it was unaware of the song when composing “Sanbo” but acknowledged partial similarities. It stopped short of making a statement on whether the track constituted plagiarism.

“We lacked the knowledge and did not know about the song at the time of writing,” the group said in its statement. “After receiving numerous comments, we realized how precious Kim Kwang-seok and ‘Where the Wind Blows’ are to people in Korea.”

The band apologized to listeners and fans, saying, “We deeply regret causing discomfort and concern.”

Formed in 2023, Super Tozanbu is a five-member indie band. Kim’s “Where the Wind Blows,” featured on his fourth album in 1994, has remained popular through remakes and frequent appearances in television dramas and other media.

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