The South Korean rapper Psy, whose Gangnam
Style video became a viral sensation, has apologised for past anti-American
tirades ahead of a charity concert in which he will perform in front of Barack
Obama and his family.
The 34-year-old rapper, whose real name is
Park Jae-sang, was forced to apologise after reports emerged that he had rapped
lyrics calling for American soldiers to be killed at a 2004 concert held to
oppose the US-led invasion of Iraq.
In a statement, the singer said he
regretted using such violent language, but said the comments were made at a
time when emotions were running high over the Iraq war and the deaths of the
two South Korean schoolgirls who were run over by a US military vehicle.
"As a proud South Korean who was
educated in the United States and lived there for a very significant part of my
life, I understand the sacrifices American servicemen and women have made to
protect freedom and democracy in my country and around the world," he
said.
"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. I
will forever be sorry for any pain I have caused by those words."
In Dear American, a song written by the
South Korean rock band N.EX.T, he sang about "slowly and painfully"
killing US soldiers and their families.
The lyrics reportedly included the lines:
"Kill those fucking Yankees who have been torturing Iraqi captives; Kill
those fucking Yankees who ordered them to torture; Kill their daughters,
mothers, daughters-in-law and fathers; Kill them all slowly and painfully."
In another outburst the same year, he
protested the deaths of the teenage girls; in 2002, he reportedly smashed a
model of a US tank on stage.
About 28,500 US troops are stationed in
South Korea, which sent about 3,600 soldiers to Iraq in 2004 but later scaled
down the deployment amid strong public opposition at home.
Gangnam Style is the most-watched video
ever on YouTube, attracting more than 900 million hits so far. The song is
expected to earn Psy as much as $8 million this year alone.
It remains to be seen whether the
revelations will affect the his popularity in the US, where he has appeared on
Saturday Night Live, Today and Ellen, and inspired Gangnam Style parodies by,
among others, US military cadets .
US media reported that an online petition
to ban the rapper from the Christmas in Washington concert on 21 December had
quickly fizzled out.
Concert organisers said Psy's appearance
would go ahed as scheduled. The White House confirmed that Obama would be
attending the fund-raising event with his family, as is customary for sitting
US presidents.
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