Global star Psy’s ungentlemanly behavior in his new music video is sparking controversy over its possible influence on the public.
Concerns have been raised about the entertainer’s comedic “Gentleman” music video in which the rapper is seen dancing in a public library as well as “defacing public property.” Seoul City Councilman Jung Sae-hwan brought the issue of Psy dancing in a public library up at a city council meeting held on Wednesday, stating that the video could cause foreigners to want to go to the library and mimic the scene.
A screen capture of Psy’s “Gentleman” music video scene where he kicks a traffic cone.
“Psy is dancing in the library. When foreigners see this music video there is no guarantee that they won’t be compelled to go to the Seoul Metropolitan Library and dance and take pictures with their smartphones,” the councilman is reported as saying. “Through this video, the public may get the idea that running around in the library is okay.”
Jung equated the issue to the popular scene from the U.S. classic film “Roman Holiday,” where actress Audrey Hepburn eats ice cream on the Spanish Steps in Rome. The location has since become a tourism hot spot, flooded with visitors, many of whom are supposedly unaware that eating or drinking in the area is prohibited by law.
Despite the video’s humorous nature, with Psy intentionally committing mischievous acts in various locations around Seoul, the state-funded broadcaster KBS announced on Thursday that it had banned the video because of a scene in which the rapper is seen “defacing public property” by kicking a traffic cone.
“It is against our policy to broadcast the destruction of public property,” according to a KBS representative. “As public broadcasters, there are concerns that this could have a negative impact on the public.”
Representatives of Psy’s local agency YG Entertainment announced that it did not deem it necessary to request the broadcaster to re-examine the decision. Nor does the agency intend to edit any of the music video.
Despite the controversies, the music video continues to garner global attention with more than 155 million views on YouTube as of Friday afternoon.
By Julie Jackson (
juliejackson@heraldcorp.com)