By
Noemi G. Bernardino- Edaga
PAGADIAN CITY - Gangnam which literally means "South of the River, officially the Gangnam-gu - is one of the 25 local government districts which make
up the city of Seoul, South Korea. Wikipedia describes that “until the early 1980's Gangnam
and its neighboring areas had remained the least developed in Seoul, but a
prodigious development over the last 30 years has earned it a reputation of
being the most affluent, dynamic, and influential area in both Seoul and South
Korea as a whole.”
The hit single
by Korean superstar Psy had been perceived by many as poking fun at the lavish
lifestyle in South Korea’s Gangnam district according to GMA.
The Korea’s pop
music industry popularized “Gangnam
Style” dance. The Financial Times in its September 14, 2012 issue said “it’s
the most dance sensation to sweep the nation citing that the song currently
sits atop Billboard’s YouTube chart, which tracks popularity songs on the video
site.”
K-pop is a
strategy of globalizing Hallyu or Korean wave. This has successfully spread
South Korean entertainment throughout US and Asia.
The Philippines
could not be left behind in patronizing the K-pop trend as the famous dancing
inmates of the Cebu Provincial Detention and Rehabilitation Center in Central Visayas
drew the attention and cheers of spectators as they enthusiastically danced to
the hit, “Gangnam Style” on September 29. Most of them wore their rain-drenched
orange suit as the downpour was not able to stop their performance. The inmates’
latest act was posted on YouTube on the same day.
The Financial
Times is quoted saying that Korea’s music industry is not waiting for album
sales or radio play to catch up as Psy signed with Justin Bieber’s manager and
Universal Music, making the K-pop byword stay. (NBE/PIA9)