PSY sorry for anti-American protests
Source: Agencies |
December 9, 2012, Sunday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
SOUTH Korean rapper and Internet sensation PSY is apologizing to Americans for participating in anti-US protests several years ago.
Park Jae-sang, who performs as PSY, issued a statement on Friday after reports surfaced that he had participated in concerts protesting the United States military presence in South Korea during the early stages of the Iraq war.
At a 2004 concert, the "Gangnam Style" rapper performs a song with lyrics about killing "Yankees" who have been torturing Iraqi captives and their families "slowly and painfully." During a 2002 concert, he smashed a model of a US tank on stage.
"While I'm grateful for the freedom to express one's self, I've learned there are limits to what language is appropriate and I'm deeply sorry for how these lyrics could be interpreted," he wrote in the statement. "I will forever be sorry for any pain I have caused by those words."
The 34-year-old rapper says the protests were part of a "deeply emotional" reaction to the war and the death of two Korean school girls, who were killed when a US military vehicle hit them as they walked alongside the road. He noted anti-war sentiment was high around the world at the time.
PSY attended college in the US and says he understands the sacrifices US military members have made to protect South Korea and other nations. He has recently performed in front of servicemen and women.
PSY launched to international acclaim based on the viral nature of his "Gangnam Style" video. It became YouTube's most watched video, making him a millionaire who freely crossed cultural borders around the world.
Park Jae-sang, who performs as PSY, issued a statement on Friday after reports surfaced that he had participated in concerts protesting the United States military presence in South Korea during the early stages of the Iraq war.
At a 2004 concert, the "Gangnam Style" rapper performs a song with lyrics about killing "Yankees" who have been torturing Iraqi captives and their families "slowly and painfully." During a 2002 concert, he smashed a model of a US tank on stage.
"While I'm grateful for the freedom to express one's self, I've learned there are limits to what language is appropriate and I'm deeply sorry for how these lyrics could be interpreted," he wrote in the statement. "I will forever be sorry for any pain I have caused by those words."
The 34-year-old rapper says the protests were part of a "deeply emotional" reaction to the war and the death of two Korean school girls, who were killed when a US military vehicle hit them as they walked alongside the road. He noted anti-war sentiment was high around the world at the time.
PSY attended college in the US and says he understands the sacrifices US military members have made to protect South Korea and other nations. He has recently performed in front of servicemen and women.
PSY launched to international acclaim based on the viral nature of his "Gangnam Style" video. It became YouTube's most watched video, making him a millionaire who freely crossed cultural borders around the world.
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