Psy, a portly 34-year-old rapper with a penchant for silly dances, brought central Seoul to a standstill last week as he gave a free concert for 80,000 adoring fans, including two renditions of his global hit “Gangnam Style”.
The municipal authorities willingly allowed the concert to take place outside the city hall, and blocked traffic in the surrounding streets: an unusual gesture that reflects the delight of South Korean public officials at the international success of the musician, whose real name is Park Jae-sang.
“Gangnam Style” has become South Korea’s biggest musical export: it stands at number two in both the US and UK charts, and it has been watched on YouTube more than 400m times.
The phenomenon is particularly welcome for an outgoing government that has paid enormous attention to boosting South Korea’s standing in the eyes of the world. Since assuming the presidency in 2008, Lee Myung-bak has stressed the importance of developing the country’s “soft power” to a level befitting its economic heft. He established a permanent presidential council to “establish a national brand”, has increased spending on foreign aid and hosted a series of high-profile events including a G20 summit in 2010.
A viral pop hit was not part of the nation branding plan, but it is “very useful, very important”, says Ma Young-sam, ambassador for public diplomacy at the foreign ministry.
