MANILA, Philippines – The South Korean pop star behind the international hit “Gangnam Style” has just arrived at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport in Manila aboard Korean Air flight KE 621.

He is in the capital for his much-awaited concert, “PSY Live in Manila!” which starts at 8 pm on Saturday, February 16, at the SM Mall of Asia Arena.

The K-Pop sensation will share the stage with AiAi delas Alas who is hailed as the country’s reigning “comedy concert queen.” Joining them is the comedy duo of Wally Bayola and Jose Manalo.

The concert was originally set for December 2012 but was postponed to February 2013 due to “logistical issues,” according to concert promoter Joed Serrano of That’s NTertainment.

Global stardom

The South Korean rapper was ushered into international stardom after the music video of his song “Gangnam Style” reached 1 billion views. As of publishing time, the video now has 1,322,430,331 hits on Youtube.

Psy spent New Year’s Eve at New York City where he performed in front of thousands for the New Year Eve celebration at Times Square.

Flash mobs honoring his song and dance moves have been staged in dozens of countries. The South Korean star attracted 20,000 people when he participated in a massive flash mob in Paris.

In the Philippines, the song is a fixture at parties, celebrations and public events with participants often dancing “Gangnam Style” and executing the famous “running horse” dance step. 

Early in February, the “Gangnam Style” creator issued a directive to MCA Universal  Music, the company which holds the local license for the song, banning its use in political ads and jingles. The announcement came at the start of the campaign season for the 2013 Philippine senatorial elections. – Rappler.com