Gangnam Style ‘Dress classy and dance cheesy’

Will a goofy video do what incoherent marketing and billions of corporate dollars weren't able to achieve: make Korea truly global.

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Permalink Reply by YINQIUWU on September 25, 2012 at 10:30am

Let the world see the attitude of Korean living.

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Permalink Reply by Mike Park on November 22, 2012 at 2:10am

I'm not too sure about Korea, but "Gangnam" - with more than 780,000,000 Youtube hits - was surely put on the map. In fact, the count is expected to surpass 800,000,000 this upcoming weekend making Gangnam style the most viewed clip on Youtube in its short history. Avid fans are attempting, even right now, to make it the first clip to make it up to the 1,000,000,000 (one-billion) mark.

Probabilities are that --- no matter where you're located in terms of geography/country --- you've already at least once heard of (or had listened to) Gangnam style so long as you own a computer/notebook/iPad or some type of smartphone.

30-40 years ago, people in Europe and the Americas had asked Koreans - are you from China or Japan? Under such terms, Koreans had to reply back by saying - neither, I am from Korea. The only people who had the faintest idea about Korea were those who had an uncle, or relative, who had fought in the Korean (forgotten) War.

Now, fast forward to post Gangnam Style's success (specifically today as in the year 2012); and all you really need to do is imitate the "horse" dance; and immediately people will recognize the gesture with smile (laugh) and say "Korea" on your behalf.

Now, if you factor in that kids (teenagers) really love this song, going forward people from around the world for at least one generation (next 40-50 years) will remember Gangnam style. In any airport across the world, you can do the horse dance and people will recognize that it is Gangnam style (and make people smile too) - amazing.

Put in another way, Psy is to Korea what ABBA was to Sweden. Now, and however, let's not get too carried away. In other words, if you ask me locate (or exactly pin-point) Sweden on a map or name the countries that it boarders, I'm not too sure if I'll be able to provide you with the right answer in one attempt.

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Permalink Reply by Mike Park on November 22, 2012 at 2:31am

BTW: If Madonna - yes, the Madonna - knows you by your first name, you've also become a pretty famous person in your own right.

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Permalink Reply by Mike Park on March 10, 2013 at 6:31pm

The count just surpassed 1,400,000,000 this weekend on YouTube - amazing stuff - and I can't explain it - who's still watching it? Why so much? and Why so often?