Last month, we reported that Psy was immortalized in snow at the Harbin International Ice and Snow Sculpture Festival in China. Britain's The Daily Mail was so impressed that it called the giant sculpture the "coolest Gangnam tribute in the world." This might be true, for now, but that title may soon be passed over to Psy's native South Korea, which has plans to build a life-size hologram of the singer performing his trademark horse dance. 

The center is part of a large-scale plan to put Gangnam, the most affluent district in Korea and the playground of the country's nouveau riche, on the map as one of the world's epicenters of fashion and entertainment. Officials hope that riding the wave of the "Gangnam Style" phenomenon will raise the district's international profile and help them achieve their goal. 

"Psy appeared right when we were ready to take Gangnam global," said Shin Yeon-hee, Gangnam's mayor. "We already believe we are on par with Manhattan or Beverly Hills in every way."  

However, officials have admitted that this is no small task and that there are several obstacles ahead. The first is to "create a stronger connection between the song and the district," said Kim Kwang-soo, the head of Gangnam's new tourism office. Although the word "Gangnam" is repeated again and again throughout the song, the district does not appear in the music video.

Officials will start by building the visitor center, which will have holograms of Korean pop stars, including, hopefully, Psy. They have yet to sign a deal with the singer. Then, construction will start on Hallyu Drive, which will feature celebrity handprints in its sidewalks, similar to the Hollywood Walk of Fame in California. Construction will likely be completed before the end of 2013.  

Through their efforts, the district hopes to double the number of tourists from 800,000 in 2012 to 1,600,000 this year. Most of the tourists are from China and Japan, but officials want to lure a small number of visitors from the West with the help of "Gangnam Style," the first Korean music video that widely captured the attention of the West. Indeed, on a recent weekend, a group of Western tourists stated that they visited Seoul to learn more about Psy's Korean origins. 

"That song got Americans interested in who Psy is and where he's from," said Jermaine Hollis, an American GI from Louisiana, who toured Gangnam by bus with his family. "The song shows Psy's pride in his home. I can respect that."