IT HAS been over a decade since South Korean artist Psy (also known as Park Jae-sang) wow-ed the world with his hypnotic hit song Gangnam Style and the catchy dance. Since its debut on YouTube, its music video song has garnered over 4.9 billion views.
The 45-year-old has even performed in Malaysia at least twice, once in 2013 and again in 2022.
With Gangnam Style being such a global phenomenon, was a statue built to commemorate its success?
Verdict:
TRUE
Yes, there is a giant statue celebrating Gangnam Style in the Gangnam district in Seoul, South Korea. It is located at the east gate of COEX mall, which was also featured in the Gangnam Style official music video.
The 5m high and 8m wide bronze sculpture is modelled after the signature “horse-riding” arm motion from the song’s signature dance. The words "Gang Nam Style" are engraved on one of the arms.
According to Korean media, the district spent 418,320,000 South Korean won (RM1.514mil) to put up the sculpture.
Gangnam tourism director Park Hee-Soo told BBC he hoped the statue would "become a landmark for our district".
"Tourists can take pictures under the statue, and the song will play automatically when you stand there," he said.
The sculpture has a 4-star rating on Tripadvisor (https://www.tripadvisor.com.my/Attraction_Review-g294197-d10758285-Reviews-Statue_of_Gangnam_Style-Seoul.html) as well as what one can do when visiting the district.
This should be on your to-do list if you ever visit Seoul.
While we may not have a monument from a Malaysian singer (yet) in the country, you could still check out historical monuments and landmarks around Malaysia here.
Reference
1. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-34744836
2. https://www.knowingkorea.org/contents/view/21/Who-wanted-Gangnam-Style-statue
3. https://www.asianews.it/news-en/Gangnam-Style-sculpture-in-central-Seoul-35808.html
