Psy overdid it

Psy drinks soju during a free concert at Seoul Plaza, Thursday. / Korea Times

Psy has made Koreans proud with his global hit, “Gangnam Style,” but does this achievement spare him from blame for drinking during a concert on Thursday night?

As a tribute to his fans, the singer performed in front of some 80,000 people at Seoul Plaza. The “trouble” began when some fans offered Psy a green bottle of the Korean liquor soju. The singer took a big swig.

As the concert was free and the crowd consisted largely of underage youths and children, the question is whether Psy behaved appropriately. He didn’t break any rules since drinking in public places is not illegal here.

“I promised my family I wouldn’t drink on stage since last year and I kept it until now but I don’t think I can keep that promise tonight. I might not meet this kind of crowd in my life again,” said Psy.

Then he drank half a bottle before his last song, spraying the rest of it over the crowd.

He did say, “If you’re teenager, don’t drink. It’s bad for your health.”

But his alcohol-ridden performance has been frowned upon.

“There was Coke and soda but I don’t understand why he had to drink alcohol on stage and make it an adult performance. I had my son and daughter with me. If that part wasn’t included, the concert would have been perfect,” wrote a netizen on his blog.

Another pointed out that it was problematic because it was a performance for all ages.

“It was not a private concert. It was broadcast live on YouTube and sponsored by the Seoul Metropolitan Government. It’s not the usual concert we would think of.”

Others sided with Psy saying he should be let off because it was just a show.

“I don’t know why it is controversial. A performance is a performance,” said a Twitter user.

Another said, “Why are people talking morality here when they also drink during work hours?”

The municipal authorities also said the concert site did not ban alcohol and that the performance was not problematic.

“There are no rules regulating alcohol in public places. Seoul Plaza is also free to the public who drink there although we do try to restrict them. Smoking is banned by law in public places but you know how our culture is, alcohol isn’t. Besides, wasn’t it just a performance?” said an official at the city government.

An official from the Korea Media Rating Board which used to be the Korea Public Performance Ethics Committee said, “We only regulate performance ethics of foreign artists when they come to Korea. We used to have regulations for Korean artists as well until the 1990s but since the law changed in 1999 to boost Korea’s performance culture, there are no laws or rules regulating Korean artists’ behavior.”

Drinking in public is illegal in many countries including Australia, Canada, the United States, Poland and Spain. <The Korea Times/Yun Suh-young>

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