Will North Korea allow Psy to perform in Pyongyang?

Psy became an international sensation in 2012 when his wacky but catchy Gangnam Style music video went viral on YouTube. PHOTO: REUTERS

SEOUL (AFP) - Seoul is pushing for Gangnam Style star Psy to perform in next week's historic concerts by South Korean artists in the North's capital, multiple reports said.

A team of at least nine South Korean pop acts are set to visit North Korea next week for two concerts in Pyongyang, the first of their kind for more than a decade.

The shows - part of moves ahead of a planned inter-Korean summit in April - feature many top stars, including K-pop girl band Red Velvet.

But Seoul is also seeking to include Psy in the line-up, South Korean media reports said.

The 40-year-old rapper-singer became an international sensation in 2012 when his wacky but catchy Gangnam Style music video went viral on YouTube.

The video has been viewed more than three billion times.

"We have formally proposed to the North to add Psy to the line-up," Seoul's MBC TV station quoted a Seoul government official as saying.

But Pyongyang opposed the idea, it said, adding that the conservative North was apparently concerned about the singer's provocative performance style.

Psy has in the past stripped topless on stage and his lyrics include Korean swear words.

The gigs are part of a cross-border deal made earlier this month when Seoul envoys met North Korean leader Kim Jong Un to pave the way for dialogue after months of tension on the flashpoint peninsula.

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