Regarding recent news about Korean singer PSY's anti-American actions from around a decade ago, PSY offers this apology (see Slate article here):
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—eight years ago—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 antiwar 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. I will forever be sorry for any pain I have caused by those words.
I have been honored to perform in front of American soldiers in recent months—including an appearance on the Jay Leno show specifically for them—and I hope they and all Americans can accept my apology. While it’s important that 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 thru music, our universal language we can all come together as a culture of humanity and I hope that you will accept my apology.
As far as I'm concerned, PSY came out and apologized clearly and directly for what he said and did back in the early 2000s. What more can you expect from him? All is forgiven. Just don't pull that shit again, a'ight?
ADDENDUM: I can't believe I scooped the Marmot's Hole on this story, but yeah-- I beat the Hole by a few hours. Heh. "Beat the hole."
_
I'm generally willing to give people a second chance.
ReplyDeleteI was here during that time (and I believe you were, too, no?), and there's no denying that it was a bit uncomfortable to be an American here. It was mob mentality writ large, on the national scale. People got caught up in it. That doesn't make it right, but if someone steps forward and says, "Hey, I crossed a line. I was wrong," well, I'm not going to hold a grudge. I've never been big on grudges anyway.
Yeah, I was in Korea in 2002. My own encounters with anti-Americanism were few-- one dickheaded Japanese guy in my Intensive 4 Korean class gave me some grief about Bush and his policies (he also wondered aloud as to why people thought Hitler was so bad), and one really angry dude at the gym I was going to spewed a lot of anti-US hate (only a third of which I really understood, so the full impact of his vitriol was lost on me). Aside from that, I didn't feel too nervous shuttling from place to place, but that may simply be because I wasn't all that observant about the Zeitgeist.
ReplyDeleteOh, I was never really nervous. But it was a bit uncomfortable.
ReplyDeleteHis publicist issued an apology on his behalf to salvage as much future earnings in the states as they can, but I'd really like to hear something out of his own mouth and not out of his mouthpiece before I am willing to forgive and forget. Until then, I don't think he ought to be included in Sunday's TNT performance in front of the United States Commander in chief of the very forces (and their extended families) that he wanted to see killed "slowly and painfully."
ReplyDelete