'No legal action against Psy imposter'
Psy imposter in Cannes
By Park Si-soo
Psy’s management agency won’t take legal action against a man who claimed to be the rapper and was given red-carpet treatment, attended star-studded upscale parties and even appeared in a video for a French radio station showing how to do the “Gangnam Style” dance during the Cannes Film Festival.
YG Entertainment spokeswoman Hwang Min-hee said no measure against the imposter is in consideration, viewing the recent incidents as an “inevitable cost” of Psy’s international fame.
“We are not seeking any measure to hold the imposter liable for the scandal,” Hwang told The Korea Times over the phone, Friday. “I think this is a sort of a byproduct of his popularity. Also we’ve received no angry reaction from Psy.”
Unlike celebrities who tend to be upset over such incidents, the 36-year-old who is now trotting the globe to promote his new song “Gentleman” made a surprisingly jovial reaction, saying “Seems like there's another ME at Cannes ... say HI to him” in his tweeter message on Wednesday.
The imposter was identified as Denis Jae Wan, a Korean adoptee in France, whose Korean name is Kim Jae-wan, according to news reports. He was sent to the European nation at the age of three and is now 34.
Psy is now in Singapore. He took the stage of the Social Star Awards on Thursday and said people may be able to distinguish between real and fake Psy by the number of accompanying body guards.
“I’ve heard he (fake Psy) was with three bodyguards. I have only one,” he said, which prompted laughter from the audience.
According to news reports, the fake Psy, who wore the rapper’s signature round glasses and ill-fitting suit, lived it up around Cannes for several days as celebrities and journalists hit the town for the annual film festival. According to the Atlantic Wire, the imposter went to parties, posed with celebrities as well as appearing in the video for the French radio station Radio Prestige.
Among those who got duped into posing with the pretender were actress Naomi Harris, actor Adrien Brody and Portland Trailblazers player Nicolas Batum.
He also reportedly made his way into parties at the Carlton hotel, the VIP Room and Martinez beach, as well as attending a secret bash thrown by millionaire oil baron and fashion designer Goga Ashkenazi at Le Baron, where he grabbed a mic behind the DJ booth at the soiree also attended by Karolina Kurkova and Rosario Dawson.