Here from Al Jazeera
"Gangnam Style" has not only contributed to 2012's financial gains for South Korea's pop (or K-pop) industry, but has provided a platform for larger conversations about how K-pop may reflect larger societal pressures within South Korea.
Since its rise in popularity, people have speculated what the video - atypical of many other K-pop hits - tries to convey. Some think the video is little more than a self-parody, but others insist that it is stark social commentary on South Korea's wealthy Gangnam province.
Below, consultant Adrian Hong tells the Atlantic:
"I think it all ties back to the same thing: the pursuit of materialism, the pursuit of form over function," Hong said. "Koreans made extraordinary gains as a country, in terms of GDP and everything else, but that growth has not been equitable. I think the young people are finally realizing that. There's a genuine backlash. ... You're seeing a huge amount of resentment from youth about their economic circumstances." Even if Psy wasn't specifically nodding to this when he wrote the song and shot the video, it's part of the contemporary South Korean society that he inhabits.
Hahaha great finally Korean laughing by themselves all the way bank - Two Bob Snob statutory declaration! So artificial so cheap so lewd, so phony, so plastics try to be somebody social ladder a great Kang-nam star spurious jungle star – charlatan star! Koreans now lean how to laugh by themselves finally! Insulting themselves great! Sense of maturity!
