Psy most viewed Korean artist on YouTube

Psy performs “Gangnam Style” on Sept. 2, in downtown Seoul. (Photo : Yonhap)

Singer of the moment Psy had no idea his music video “Gangnam Style” would go viral around the globe within a couple of months of its release.

The 34-year-old rapper’s video has over 100 million views on YouTube as of Tuesday to be crowned the highest viewed Korean artist on the site, outstripping the record held by Korean girl group Girls’ Generation.

The girl group’s “Gee” has had 84 million hits since its release in 2009.

“I never imagined this day would come. I wasn’t even targeting an international audience. The video was originally made for Korean fans. It’s absolutely amazing,” the musician said.

According to YG Entertainment Tuesday, the artist said he feels he is in the “prime of his life.” He added that he has mixed feelings about such a tremendous reaction, believing it’s probably best to let go of any insincere ambitions but at the same time wanting to make the most of it and raise the national prestige of the country.

Psy, whose real name is Park Jae-sang, is known for his amusing videos and has had previous success in the nation’s charts.

The video has gained exceptional international recognition thanks to social media. The likes of Robbie Williams and T-Pain shared “Gangnam Style” on Twitter, and thousands of retweets followed. In the U.S. popular nighttime talk show host Jay Leno even featured a clip of Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney doing the dance as he took the stage for his acceptance speech. There seems to be no stopping the video’s spread. <The Korea Times/Rachel Lee>

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