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"Despite Friday's uproar about Psy's controversial anti-American rap from 2004, U.S. President Barack Obama met and shook hands with the \"Gangnam Style\" rapper over the weekend during the taping of Christmas in Washington. \nAn online petition had asked for Obama to rescind Psy's invitation to Christmas in Washington, which airs Dec. 21 on TNT,  because of the song's \"vicious\" lyrics. The White House on Friday removed the petition from its petitions website, \"We the People.\"\nSEE ALSO: White House Deletes Petition Amid Psy's Anti-American Rap Controversy\n\nThe lyrics from the 2004 performance (see video below) reportedly translate into: \"Kill those fucking Yankees who have been torturing Iraqi captives, kill those fucking Yankees who ordered them to torture, kill their daughters, mothers, daughters-in-law, and fathers, kill them all slowly and painfully.\"\nThe photo above from Sunday shows the meeting between Psy and Obama during Christmas in Washington at the National Building Museum in Washington, D.C., as Sasha Obama, American Idol winner Scotty McCreery and event host Conon O'Brien observe. \n\nPsy issued an apology Friday after the news had spread quickly online: \n\nAs a proud South Korean who was educated in the United States and lived there for a very significant part of my life, I understand the sacrifices American servicemen and women have made to protect freedom and democracy in my country and around the world. The song in question \u2014 from eight years ago \u2014 was part of a deeply emotional reaction to the war in Iraq and the killing of two innocent Korean civilians that was part of the overall antiwar sentiment shared by others around the world at that time. While I'm grateful for the freedom to express one's self I've learned there are limits to what language is appropriate and I'm deeply sorry for how these lyrics could be interpreted. I will forever be sorry for any pain I have caused anyone by those words.\nI have been honored to perform in front of American soldiers in recent months \u2014 including an appearance on the Jay Leno show specifically for them \u2014 and I hope they and all Americans can accept my apology. While it's important we express our opinions, I deeply regret the inflammatory and inappropriate language I used to do so. In my music I try to give people a release, a reason to smile. I have learned that though music, our universal language we can all come together as a culture of humanity and I hope that you will accept my apology.\n\nPhoto via Molly Riley-Pool/Getty Images"^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://mashable.com/2012/12/10/anti-american-rap-psy-meets-obama/>