As with most successes, Psy's mega hit "Gentleman" has had its share of positive and negative feedbacks. The rejection of its music video by KBS, one of the major Korean networks, was a big controversy that led to further scrutiny of its violence and sexuality. Some critics even denounced the music video as a B-rated porn.

The heightened level of expectation with regards to all aspects of Psy's music seems to have stemmed from the newly formed equation in the minds of many Koreans: Psy = Korea. Exactly how much do people want from Psy?

Many rush to Psy's dining table with nothing to offer but utensils

There has never been a global star from Korea. With no doubt, Psy is the first. But it would be far-fetched to say that Psy's success equals the success of Korean culture. The millions of YouTube hits are not exactly the best criterion to judge the quality of Psy's music or its critical reception by the world, either.

Of course, Psy is a complete artist whose skills and talents match his popularity. But truth be told, Psy is more of a hot issue than a hot artist in many parts of the world, even after his consecutive successes. As such, it would be more fitting to label him a global celebrity than a global musician. Certainly, he is on his way to become a global musician but to praise him as one is a tad bit premature at this point. Furthermore, to equate Psy's success with K-Pop's success, as tempting and easy as it is, would be a stretch as well.

But everyone in Korea is trying to do just that. They want to feel accepted and respected by the world through one individual who is now a world star. Attributing Psy's success as one's own, the public is enjoying their proud moments after another as the breaking news of new world records continue to pour in-- just like the gold medals earned by Kim Yeon Ah and Park Tae Hwan brought tears to many of the proud Koreans,

But we must remember that Psy's music was accepted for its eccentricity and uniqueness. Simply put, he did not have venture out to the world representing Korea. Psy just represented himself and his music as a Korean artist.

Symbol of Eccentricity to Represent the Entire Nation of Korea?

When Psy made his debut in 2000, most of his songs were labeled 'not playable on air' for their violence and sexual content. The biggest factor going for Psy was that he is different, and over time, people came to appreciate his uniqueness.

So it is nothing but ironic that people expect Psy to become something he never was-to represent Korea as a spokesperson, a model citizen, total embodiment of its culture-now that he has the spotlight on the world.

Psy put it best as he stated, "There is a lot of talk about the music video, good and bad. I sense that the bar has been raised for me but I have never been a classy kind of a guy or artist. But people have come to expect that from me now."
What may be most important for Psy going forward is to keep his identity pure as an artist. Representing his country, as important as it is, comes second to who he is as an artist. If he loses his artistic identity because of all the directions he is being pulled toward, then he loses. Then, of course, Korea loses, too.