Psy of "Gangnam Style" Fame Rapped About Killing Yankees in 2004

I'll admit, I'm one of the millions that has made Psy's "Gangnam Style" video the number one viewed video on YouTube, with well over 904 million views and counting. I thought it was hilarious, I've even enjoyed the many parodies that have popped up since the original became a viral hit. And I've helped make him a very rich man. According to Variety, Psy has made more than $8.1 million on that song, including over $870,000 from YouTube hits alone.  He's also made at least $2.9 million, so far, from iTunes downloads, making it the top downloaded song on iTunes, as well.

But it looks like the South Korean phenom has something in his past that he's probably regretting, about now.  In South Korea, back in 2002 and 2004, he participated in several anti-American rallies, including one where he rapped about killing Yankees "slowly and painfully."

According to the New York Post:

Wearing a red cape and gold face paint, he smashes a toy American tank on the ground while belting out his rap-rock song "Killer." Psy went on to beat the toy with his microphone stand into pieces to the excitement of the crowd.

“Killer,” as described by the Korea Herald, “makes a mockery of the brutal law of the jungle when big guys can bully the weak for anything.”

The performance was in response to the 2002 death of two Korean school girls, who were killed in an accident with an American military vehicle outside of Seoul, according to Korean Web site BusanHaps. The soldiers driving the tank were acquitted by a US military court.

According to the Korea Herald, anti-American sentiment ignited after their deaths, and one of the most outspoken critics in the local entertainment industry was Psy.

Mediaite reports a second incident in 2004 after a South Korean missionary was executed in Iraq – an act of revenge for the country's support of the U.S. war in Iraq – Psy performed an anti-America song with another popular Korean rock band.

In the heavy metal “Dear America,” there are sounds of gunshots, explosions and guttural deathcore screams throughout.

The lyrics for the song "Dear American" at the 2004 rally:

Kill those f*cking Yankees who have been torturing Iraqi captives

Kill those f*cking Yankees who ordered them to torture

Kill their daughters, mothers, daughters-in-law and fathers

Kill them all slowly and painfully

Not nice, but he was around 24 at the time, and we've all done stupid things when we were young that we regret when older, but it's hard to tell if he's repentant or not.  He did issue an apology, but is it sincere or just covering his proverbial butt since we 'Americans' are probably responsible for the bulk of those millions.

But many are still outraged. Due to take part in Barack Obama's annual Christmas event, someone posted a petition on the White House website to rescind Psy's invitation.  The petition has since been removed for  violating the "Terms of Participation", whatever that means.

It will be interesting to see if people will forgive him, but I can't imagine that it will make much difference either way. I can't see Psy topping the popularity of his "Gangnam Style", at least for Western audiences.