The world has cast its attention to a chubby Korean singer who was educated in the states previously and has an ability to carry a conversation in English. The former is no surprise, but the latter is not often witnessed in the Korean entertainment industry. And this is probably why he has come on many American tv shows without a translator next to him.
I don't need to place more emphasis on how popular he and his song(s) are around the world. But, I would like to say you one thing. That is, PSY always has been an underdog. And, this is why, I think, Korean public is more ecstatic about his success.
For one thing, he served in the military twice. Yes, you heard me right. How was that possible?
It is mandatory for Korean males to serve in the military for 18t months in many forms; Army, Air Force, Navy, Marine Corps or Police and so forth. Nevertheless, if one has a severe condition(mental, physical or other) that prevents him from serving, you are either exempted or are, as an substitute, given a longer period to serve and yet much easier job to execute. For example, some with low eye vision spend longer than 18 months at a city hall, helping the locals with paper work, doing some chores. And yet, at the end of the day, they get to go home unlike those in the military. No deprivation of freedom. That's the biggest difference.
For this reason, some males get themselves involved in scams in order to dodge the draft. They manipulate their medical records, intentionally harm their bodies or hire some "broker" to pull some strings. After completing his time (not in jail),a prosecutor found out that he did not carry out his duties as diligently as possible, court ordered him to serve in the Army for 18 months again. And, he did.
Upon hearing the news, Koreans criticized him for being a fraud. Dodging the military service is severely frowned upon unless you have a very cogent and legitimate reason that everyone would give a nod to. And PSY's was not forgivable. And yet, he did his time. (Again, not in Jail) Twice. For that, people have forgiven him and even put him on the pedestal. Serving in the military once suffices. For kicks, Korean males after completing their service would say "I will not go through that again even if I get paid 100 million won." But PSY did. And thus, he had a much longer void in his career compared to other males singers. Even worse, PSY was not an idol star, so people started to forget about him. And, boom, Gangnam Style was the game changer and no one knew it was going to be this way.
Secondly, PSY and his songs did not quite spawn feverish fandom before. His previous songs or his performances, however, were popular because they were somewhat different. In particular, his choreography was sensational. But, it was not like when his album was coming out, there was a buzz and everyone was waiting for it. People tended to think "Ah.. PSY is coming back. Good. What kind of choreography is he going to exhibit this time" Then, he would come out on tv shows, show to the public what he has prepared and be forgotten as time goes by.
Yes, he was one of those singers that everyone would remember and enjoy, but not that would not create much of popularity. Or should I say, I would not put his songs onto my Iphone.I would not say it is because his songs, his performances or even himself come off a bit "light" and "hollow". But there was no magnitudes that catches everyone's attention unlike some other singers.
And yet, he did not give up on his dream and music. Being a father of twin daughters, (maybe this has served as his motif), he kept on evolving. Signing with one of the major labels (YG which manages 2NE1, BIG BANG and so forth), he would always follow his path with or without any acknowledgement from the public.
At last, Gangnam Style hit the jackpot. This sensation or his success is beyond one's imagination and description. No one expected that Gangnam Style would strike the chord of, literally, everyone in the whole world. The secrete, I do not know.
Even so, the images that he has shown recently on tv or in mags such as Rolling Stones, are nothing but down to earth and humble. Maybe this is because he has gone through a lot of hardships and knows the key to success and how to handle it with poise and humility. This is somewhat more surprising.
It is nearly impossible to disassociate military service with Korean society. Korean males say "He is the man" not because of his success, but because of the fact that he served twice. And, PSY knows it better than anyone else. Even his lyric of Gangman Style says "I am da man"
