John Park's 'McDonald's Order Rap' Illegally Distributed Overseas, Agency Moves to Have Track Removed

The agency representing singers John Park and Kwak Jin-eon has taken urgent action after the duo's "McDonald's Order Rap" was distributed overseas without authorization under the name of another artist.

On November 11, their agency Music Farm Entertainment announced, "We recently confirmed that the audio track for 'McDonald's Order Rap'—written by our artists John Park and Kwak Jin-eon and composed and arranged by John Park—was registered and distributed on overseas music platforms without the prior consent of our company and the original creators."

The audio track in question was found to have been registered without authorization on global platforms such as Spotify and YouTube Music on November 2 under the song title "McDonald's" and the artist name "Yoyotina," distributed through Jungle Entertainment Ventures based in Nigeria.

The rap originally appeared in content released on October 23 on John Park's YouTube channel. At the time, John Park and Kwak Jin-eon drew immense buzz after receiving rap lessons from rapper Loco and subsequently placing their orders at an actual restaurant using rap. While this led to an appearance in a commercial for McDonald's Korea and the launch of the "John Park Meal," it was never officially released as a music track.

Furthermore, a chorus not present in the original version was added to the overseas release, prompting suspicions that AI voice cloning technology was used to mimic John Park's voice.

Music Farm emphasized, "Commercially using and distributing this without the original creators' consent constitutes an infringement on creators' rights," adding, "We are currently conducting the necessary discussions with relevant platforms and organizations to ensure the removal of the illegally distributed track and prevent further circulation, and we will also review necessary actions to ensure the legitimate rights and interests of the original creators and artists are protected."

(SBS Entertainment News | Kang Sun-ae)