Patriotic Performers Spoof 'Pyongyang Style'

A music video titled "Pyongyang Style" that pokes fun at the North Korean regime based on PSY's global hit "Gangnam Style" is drawing growing attention with over 200,000 hits in almost three months.

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Made by a performance group called Haramggun, it features lyrics such as, "It's a country who's number one export is nucular test". The band has a patriotic bent, also promoting reunification and South Korea's sovereignty of the Dokdo islets.

Frontman Im Byoung-doo (30) said, "We tried to make the video humorous in order to get young people interested in problems in North Korea. We poked fun at high-ranking North Korean officials ignoring the food shortages affecting their people, intent on feeding only themselves and developing nuclear weapons".

Im, who has a college degree in animation, used to work at an apparel company and an animation studio until 2007. He said he "suddenly" quit his job one day. "I wanted to live in a unified Korea, a bigger Korea", he said. "I decided to express my love for my country through what I do best".

He started performing on the streets of downtown Seoul and told stories through pictures and posted them on the Internet. He formed Haramggun in June 2010 and the group has given around 100 performances so far.

The group has not only put on dance performances but also staged flash mob, created T-shirts publicizing Korea's sovereignty over Dokdo and promoted the Korean traditional folk song "Arirang".

It has eight full members and some 20 guest members, and its website has about 2,400 subscribers.

"We need to learn how to enjoy being patriots", Im said. "There are a lot of issues plaguing Korea, such as threats to our sovereignty over Dokdo and attempts to distort our history. This is why we need to become a stronger and bigger nation".