Did 'SKY Castle' copy American song?

Ha Jin, second from left, and members of Organic Science. Photo from Facebook

By Ko Dong-hwan

• Published Feb 2, 2019 9:01 AM KST
• Updated Feb 4, 2019 10:39 AM KST

By Ko Dong-hwan

The director of cable TV ratings sensation “SKY Castle” has denied allegations that some of show's original soundtrack was plagiarized.

Jo Hyun-tak said at a press conference at the Best Western Premier Seoul Garden Hotel in Mapo-gu, Seoul, that he had not heard about the controversy until Jan. 30.

The 20-part JTBC series, ending Feb. 1, was accused over the song “

We All Lie

,” sung by Organic Science band member Ha Jin. It was alleged that it copied American musician Bea Miller's 2018 “

To the Grave

” featuring Mike Stud.

“I have been communicating closely with the show's music director,” Jo said Thursday. “There are matters left for me to verify at this point, so I have not much to say right now.”

JTBC denied the allegation the day before.

The rumor arose based on conjecture that the husky vocals and gloomy atmosphere in the two songs are similar.

Kim Tae-sung, in charge of the show's music, defended himself in a media interview in December. He said “We All Lie” has a different melody and chords from “To the Grave” and was created to support the show's musical direction.

The show's production company Drama House backed Kim's claim, emphasizing the soundtrack's originality in helping enhance the series.

Some fans lamented that the controversy had the dented the success of the drama, which satirizes the nation's morbid dependence on private educational assistance outside public schools to help students enter a few elite universities.

Meanwhile, "We All Lie" gained its own fame alongside the show and was even rendered into alternative versions, including

one played by haegeum

, a traditional Korean string instrument resembling a fiddle.