SEOUL — The South Korean recording artist Park Jae-sang, better known as Psy, has told VOA there is some misunderstanding about his upcoming follow-up recording to the record-breaking “Gangnam Style.”
There has been intense interest in Psy's next release, after his 2012 horse-dancing parody of Seoul's trendy Gangnam district became the most-ever watched video on YouTube, which has drawn 1.4 billion views as of Monday.
Arriving at Gimpo International Airport in Seoul Sunday, Psy noted that foreign producers could not pronounce one of the two possible titles for his next single.
South Korean media reported that title as “Assarabia,” a play on the South Korean slang “assa” which expresses something satisfying.
After VOA correspondent Steve Herman noted the track’s potential to offend through a post on the social messaging site Twitter, Psy responded directly to him.
Psy added "so u don't have to worry...THX for ya regard :)”
On Monday Psy also clarified on the Korean language social networking platform MeToday that “Assaravia” would undergo a change of title, lyrics and chorus.
Controversy over the leaked proposed track name filled Korean online discussions forums on Monday, with some users calling it “embarrassing.” Others thought the controversy may have been intentional - aimed at building publicity for an artist eager for a strong follow-up to his massive global hit.
Additional reporting by Youmi Kim in the VOA Seoul bureau