He’s saying that he is, in fact, “Gangnam style” – his refrain is “Oppan Gangnam Style!”. So anyway, enter Psy with his satirical take on the issue, hilarious music video, ridiculous dance, and far-too-catchy tune, and you’ve got an international superstar. Image is important here – apparently even more so in Gangnam. The idea is that she will survive on this, or cheap ramen, but buy the most expensive coffee drinks at Starbucks. Such a woman is called a Doenjangnyeo – “Doenjang Girl/Woman” – Doenjang jjigae being one of the cheapest meals you can buy in Korea. They even have a name for the girls who cut their spending on basic essentials (like, y’know, food) in order to spend a small fortune on luxury items or vanity products. Psy is a decidedly non-Gangnam style character who is using the normally cutesy and fluffy medium of K-pop to take the piss out of Korea’s obsession with appearance, and the high level of conspicuous consumption that exists here as a result. Gangnam is a somewhat swanky district in Seoul, where clothes are even shinier and hair is even more coiffed than usual. Korea – already slightly on the nutty side – has gone absolutely bonkers over this song.įirst, the story. If you’re in Korea, on the other hand, my question would be something more along the lines of “Hey, can you think back to what life was like before Gangnam Style? Can you remember the last time you went an entire day without hearing it or seeing someone post yet another parody of it on Facebook?” Seriously. I’m guessing you’ve heard of it, then, maybe? I’ve read that Psy (pronounced “sigh”) has been making appearances on TV shows across the US, and that the song has become the first ever K-pop tune to reach number one on the iTunes chart. I REALLY DON’T know just how huge the Gangnam Style phenomenon is in other parts of the world.

Still confused? Hayley Millar, an Irish woman teaching English in Korea, is here to explain… And it’s had more than 280 million views on YouTube, where it is the most ‘liked’ video in the site’s history. Everyone from Britney Spears to Ellen DeGeneres to this guy’s mum has been learning the dance.

Korean pop star Psy’s hit Gangnam Style has become the biggest viral phenomenon since Call Me Maybe – in fact, it’s bigger.

What does gangnam style mean