CSU 3: Culture Article
Article Title: Gangnam Style, Dissected: The Subversive Message Within South Korea’s
Music Video Sensation
Published: The Atlantic,
August 23, 2012
Author: Max Fisher
Max Fisher’s article “Gangnam Style
Dissected: The Subversive Message Within
South Korea’s Music Video Sensation” offers a cultural analysis of the
immensely popular video. Fisher proposes that there may be more to the video
than a contagious rhythm and funny dance moves.
He believes that the video provides a view into the cultural society of
South Korea.
In his initial paragraphs, Fisher
provides us with an overview of Park Jaesang, known as Psy. The 34-year has had
a somewhat controversial career in South Korea. Previously he was fined for
inappropriate content in his albums and another album was simply banned. He was
arrested for smoking marijuana and for avoiding mandatory military service. In
his country, Park was a known celebrity in his country sometimes appearing on
talk and games shows, but as a character who generally played the fool.
Based on this, his success seemed
unlikely. What does make Park a bit
unusual is that he uses satire in his video and that is not a genre typical to
Korean culture. Also, he has had first hand exposure to American culture. Park
attended Boston University and Boston Berklee College of Music. The video
received over 49 million hits on YouTube in just over a month. Park has done
what other South Korean pop artists have not been able to do; he has made it in
America. American rap artists and managers of famous American artists are said
to be interested in him. The Wall Street
Journal listed his video as one of the Top Five must-sees.
Fisher writes that he was uncertain
about what Park was rapping about. He knew that Gangnam was a South-Korean
neighborhood and that Park’s character in the video was meant to be a parody of
a Gangnam man and his excessive wealth. To learn more, Fisher spoke with a
cultural advisor, Adrian Hong, on South Korean culture. According to Hong, some
of the video’s subtext highlights the sky-high credit card that many South
Koreans carry. On average, Korean households carry a whopping 155% of their
disposable income in credit card debt. The countries amazing growth in the
1990s made borrowing seem secure. Heavy emphasis on spending, a move from poverty
to affluence, a strong work ethic and ambitions have also brought materialism
to the country.
Additionally, Gangnam is a symbolism of the materialist aspect of those
of South Korean culture. Many of the
country’s best-known brands have their offices there. In fact, 7 percent of
South Korea’s GDP covers an area of 15 miles. Gangnam is the home of South Korea’s one percent. The people that live there are not generally
self-made; they are the recipients of trust funds.
U.S.-based Korean blogger Jea Kim offered her insight on another aspect
of the video. She points out Park’s
caricature of a man who can drink a full cup of coffee in a single swallow. He
also raps that he wants coffee-drinking woman. For those not familiar with
Korean culture, the message won’t translate. Apparently, there is a Korean joke
aimed at women who will try and save money on an expensive lunch, but then pay
a ridiculous amount for a Starbuck’s coffee. They are called “soybean paste
women”. In Korea, the coffee shops have become the place where people want to
be seen.
Kim goes on to say that the video does not just make fun of those people
that live in Gangnam; it also targets people who aspire to live there. The
video points to the idea that those aspirations are no longer desirable for
most. The scenes that attempt to mislead initially further enforce this idea.
Where it looks like he is on a beach, he is really in a playground, he’s not in
the sauna with affluent business icons, but with gangsters and he’s not dancing
in a hot nightclub, but on a tourist bus.
Park is making fun of the materialism and suggesting that the coveted
lifestyle may not be what is expected.
After viewing Park’s making-of-the-video video, Kim believes that this
is meant to extend to South Korea as a whole and not just to Gangnam. Although South Korea has made significant
gains as a country, the distribution of the new wealth has not been equal. In
Korea right now, there is some resentment among youth as it relates to their
specific economic situation. Kim thinks that even if Psy did not intend to
include this in his video, it cannot be discounted because it is a very real
part of South Korean culture. The
article ends with Hong mentioning that the Korean media has followed the
video’s huge success and that it is something that Korean’s are discussing and
are proud of.
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