December 10, 2012

Obamas WILL attend Gangnam Style singer's concert despite furor over pop star PSY's rap about murdering U.S. troops and their children 'slowly and painfully'

TNT confirmed Psy will still close the annual 'Christmas in Washington' show
President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle will attend the concert as per tradition
South Korean rapper whose song has nearly 1 billion views appeared at anti-US protests in 2002
Violent language suggested killing American military and their families
Petition was started urging event organisers to uninvite the rapper

PUBLISHED: 15:47 EST, 7 December 2012 | UPDATED: 12:46 EST, 8 December 2012

'Gangnam Style' rapper PSY will perform as planned at a Christmas concert in Washington and President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama will be there to watch him.

The President was being urged to boycott the 'Christmas in Washington' show and critics were demanding the 34-year-old South Korean pop star be uninvited after it was revealed he once sang about slowly killing American troops and their families.

But TNT - the TV station airing the annual spectacle on December 21 - told NBC News that, despite the furor, PSY will still close the annual event and the Obama's will attend the concert, as per tradition.

Anti-American? Psy (center) appears with comedian Kathy Griffin (left) and singer Miley Cyrus (right) at the 2012 iHeartRadio Music Festival

Psy, with his face painted gold, posed with a model of an camouflaged tank during the 2002 anti-war demonstrations in Seoul

The 'American' tank didn't last long

Psy violently smashed the model up on stage

The rap sensation's graphic 2004 anti-American song sparked an angry petition on the White House website urging organizers of the event, which will be pre-recorded this Sunday, to scratch him from the line up.

The petition rapidly made the rounds on social media websites as thousands took to Twitter, Facebook and online message boards to react to the vitriolic lyrics that PSY once sang about murdering American soldiers 'slowly and painfully'.

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The hashtag 'GangnamStyleHatesAmerica' was trending as people unloaded on the artist, even after the pop sensation offered a heartfelt apology for the lyrics, which he sang during a massive protest.

'Reject PSY's apology, you just don't get away with wishing torture & murder on children' wrote @Onision.

@Lizzy3698 wrote: 'Having my father and two brothers in the military I was deeply hurt by this. PSY is literally f**king psycho.'

Another user, @StacyOnTheRight wrote, commented: 'Perhaps Psy would like to address his ridiculous raps to me directly. I'm a Veteran.'

A user commenting on a Daily Mail story wrote: 'As a U.S. Army National Guard MP, I wish he would think about the sacrifice of U.S. soldiers in the Korean conflict.'

President Obama is still planning to attend the 'Christmas in Washington' show despite the revelations about PSY, a spokesman for the president confirmed and the petition to have the artist uninvited from the show was shut down by the White House within hours of going live.

It was replaced by a message from administrators that said: 'The petition... has been removed from the site under our Moderation Policy because it is in violation of our Terms of Participation,' the message read. It was unclear what policies the petition had violated.

Psy performs the Gangnam Style dance with U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon (left). The U.N. leader has described the song as a 'force for good'

Tragic deaths: Posters show the faces of Shim Mi-seon and Shin Hyo-sun, the teenage girls crushed by a U.S. army vehicle, during an anti-American rally in 2002

The event will be taped this weekend for broadcast on TNT the Friday before Christmas. The Obamas and other Washington notables are scheduled to attend the show, hosted by Conan O'Brien.

As well as Phy's 'special performance' to close the charity concert, Diana Ross, Demi Lovato and Scotty McCreery are also scheduled to sing.

PSY is under fire for his actions during an anti-American protest in Seoul in 200, in which he smashed a model American tank live on stage. He first held the tank above his head, before throwing it to the floor and violently breaking it up with a microphone stand.

The demonstration happened during strong anti-American sentiment in the country after a 50-tonne U.S. armored vehicle killed two 14-year-old South Korean girls, Shim Mi-seon and Shin Hyo-sun, on their way to a birthday party.

Sergeants Mark Walker and Fernando Nino were in charge of the vehicle at the time of the accident and were charged with negligent homicide.

American military officials refused requests for the soldiers to be tried in South Korean courts.

When the two men were found not guilty by a U.S. military court in February 2002, it ignited massive anti-American protests. The memory of the two girls is commemorated annually in South Korea.

Then, two years later, a protest concert was held in Seoul after the killing of Kim Sun-il, a South Korean missionary and translator. He was beheaded by militants in Iraq after his country sent 3,000 troops to the region.

At this 2004 anti-war event, a group of musicians, including Psy, performed Dear American, a protest song written by Korean rock band N.E.X.T.

When it came to Psy's turn he rapped about 'killing those f***ing Yankees who have been torturing Iraqi captives.

'Kill their daughters, mothers, daughters-in-law and fathers.

'Kill them all slowly and painfully.'

Psy has been teaching his unique dance on talk shows, included Extra at The Grove

Anger is growing in America, a country that has taken Psy to heart this year, making Gangnam Style the music sensation of 2012.

Psy on Friday apologized, saying: '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.

'The song I was featured in - from eight years ago - was part of a deeply emotional reaction to the war in Iraq and the killing of two innocent Korean civilians that was part of the overall antiwar sentiment shared by others around the world at that time,' Psy's statement read.

'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 anyone by those words.'

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

'In my music I try to give people a release, a reason to smile.

'I have learned that though music, our universal language we can all come together as a culture of humanity and I hope that you will accept my apology.'

Psy's unique 'sexy horse' dance has been performed by celebrities and politicians, including everyone from Madonna to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon.

The UN leader described the song as 'force for world peace.'

Psy performed Gangnam Style at the 2012 MTV Video Music Awards in September.

Since then he has appeared on the Ellen DeGeneres Show (twice), the Today show, Saturday Night Live at the iHeartRadio Music Festival, the Formula One Korean Grand Prix, the 2012 MTV Europe Music Awards and the Tonight show with Jay Leno.

PSY'S ANTI-AMERICAN RAP

'Kill those f*****g Yankees who have been torturing Iraqi captives
Kill those f*****g Yankees who ordered them to torture
Kill their daughters, mothers, daughters-in-law and fathers
Kill them all slowly and painfully'

Watch video: Psy's Gangnam Style, the most popular video of all time on YouTube

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