Obama Shakes Psy's Hand Despite Ugly Anti-US Rap

Ugly Lyrics: Psy loses his mindlessly feelgood image with the revelation about his tasteless anti-US rap performance.

On Sunday evening President Obama shook hands with Psy while greeting all the performers at the Christmas in Washington charity show despite anger generated by the anti-American lyrics that Psy had spouted while participating in a 2004 rap performance.

The song, titled “Dear America”, was written by the S. Korean rock band N.E.X.T. and had been performed on stage by Psy and two other rappers. The anger of the lyrics reflected the peaking of anti-US sentiments in the wake of the brutal killing by al Qaida of a S. Korean aid workers in Iraq and the then-recent running down of two S. Korean schoolgirls on a country road by a US armored personnel carrier during training exercises.

“Kill those f—ing Yankees who have been torturing Iraqi captives and those who ordered them to torture,” goes one translation of the Korean lyrics to “Dear America”. The song also adds, “Kill their daughters, mothers, daughters-in-law, and fathers. Kill them all slowly and painfully.”

Psy took to the stage Sunday night wearing a red-sequined top and red pants and began by singing the classic “The Christmas Song”. He soon stopped to reflect on the reason for his presence, before launched into a performance of “Gangnam Style” which became transformed into “Christmas Style.” A tape of the show will be broadcast on TNT on December 21 at 8 p.m. EST.

After the show Obama didn’t mention Psy in his acknowledgement of the stars who had performed and other participants in the annual charity music event. However, he did later shake Psy’s hand along with those of the other participants. That gesture must have been something of a relief for Psy who could as easily have been snubbed as a politically controversial figure after his 2004 anti-American rap performance had begun circulating on the internet.

The translation of the song’s anti-American lyrics had initially been posted in October on a CNN iReport by an anonymous poster. Anger over the lyrics had picked up steam as Psy’s profile soared in recent weeks. It exploded last week as Psy was preparing to perform on the “Christmas in Washington” charity music concert with Diana Ross and Demi Lovato.

Before the show a petition had been posted on whitehouse.gov demanding that Psy be dropped from the concert. The petition was deleted by the White House later in the day on the ground that it violated terms of participation. The story was also widely disseminated on various conservative websites.

On Friday Psy made a public apology for having participated in the 2004 anti-US rap performance.

“I understand the sacrifices American servicemen and women have made to protect freedom and democracy in my country and around the world,” he said. He explained that the song “was part of a deeply emotional reaction to the war in Iraq and the killing of two Korean schoolgirls that was part of the overall anti-war sentiment shared by others around the world at that time.”

“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,” Psy continued. “I will forever be sorry for any pain I have caused by those words.

“While it’s important that we express our opinions, I deeply regret the inflammatory and inappropriate language I used to do so.”

The original CNN iReport on the lyrics drew a variety of responses. Many expressed anger at Psy while others praised him for speaking out against the war. Some attacked the iReporter who posted the lyrics for having misrepresented Psy.

“He is criticizing the US Army, not the country,” said one post. “Do a thorough background research before you scribble something otherwise you’d ruin one’s life.”

The controversy has recently spilled over into numerous Twitter feeds.

“So Mr. ‘Gangnam Style’ psy_oppa made a song before about America and how all U.S. soldiers should be killed....guy should flee the US now,” said TheOfficialTate.

Psy’s “words against the women in my country” were “disgusting”, tweeted fashion publicist/reality star Kelly Cutrone. She called him a “poseur faker freak.”

“Oh look, we’re supposed to hate Psy because he once joined protests against American imperialism,” tweeted @eclecticbrotha.

Psy’s statement was seen as a textbook example of crisis management.

“His statement is lesson in good crisis PR,” tweeted Atlanta journalism teacher Matt J. Duffy.

While Psy is no longer the unalloyed feel-good figure he was a few days ago, the controversy is likely to add a new dimension to his persona just as the world was beginning to experience “Gangnam Style” fatigue.