Gangnam Style is a new hit song by Psy, a 34 year old rapper from South Korea. Surprisingly, municipal authorities allowed and helped Psy give a free concert outside city hall. The global sensation performed in front of 80,000 adoring fans, and performed his claim-to-fame song twice. The song is not only a hit in South Korea, but is also ranked 2nd in the US and the UK, and has over 400 million views on YouTube.
Ma Young-sam, the country’s ambassador, suggests that “as foreigners pay more attention to the singers, slowly they develop a liking for Korea… and if they like Korea, they will buy more Korean things.” He believes that the release of Gangnam Style will greatly help South Korea. He may be right. Everyone who hears the song can easily relate it back to Korea. The song has introduced the country to a whole new set of people who probably were never that aware of it. The hit song may turn out to be a great way to get worldly publicity.
I personally find it quite surprising that after working so hard to build up its reputation and worldly standing, South Korean officials willingly allowed their Country to be branded in this way. It says a lot when a strict country like South Korea lets a video like Gangnam Style out. It is clear that they think it has a lot of redeeming value. South Korea’s motives are understandable, but leave me with one burning question: how are people expected to take the country seriously after the release of Gangnam Style?
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