Uncovered: PSY's Anti-American Past

'Gangnam Style' star once rapped about killing US soldiers
By Evann Gastaldo,  Newser Staff
Posted Dec 7, 2012 10:57 AM CST
Uncovered: PSY's Anti-American Past
In this Sept. 25, 2012 photo, South Korean rapper PSY, who sings the popular "Gangnam Style" song, performs during a press conference in Seoul, South Korea.   (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)

There's no doubt Korean rapper PSY is beloved across America, but the "Gangnam Style" star doesn't necessarily feel the same way about America—or at least, he didn't a few years ago. During a 2002 concert protesting the presence of US troops in Korea, PSY smashed a toy "American tank" on the ground as the crowd cheered, Mediaite reports. Two years later, during protests against the US war in Iraq after it indirectly led to the beheading of a Korean missionary in that country, PSY performed part of a vitriolic anti-America song by a Korean rock band. Some of the "Dear American" lyrics he rapped:

  • "Kill those f---ing Yankees who have been torturing Iraqi captives / Kill those f---ing Yankees who ordered them to torture / Kill their daughters, mothers, daughters-in-law and fathers / Kill them all slowly and painfully."
Not surprisingly, as news of PSY's past has emerged, not all Americans have taken it well. Twitchy rounds up some of the Twitter reactions, like this tweet: "Psy the anti-American protestor: Certainly not the same guy you saw on Ellen." But, Mediaite notes, musicians are often forgiven for talking about things like killing cops (Ice-T) or beating women (Eminem, Chris Brown) in their music. And it's important to put his protesting in context, as this magazine does. (More Psy stories.)

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