Pinoys jump into the 'Gwiyomi' craze

MANILA, Philippines - Amid the nuclear tension in the Korean Peninsula, a new craze over the South Korean song, Gwiyomi, is sweeping the world of internet by storm.

First popularized in South Korea, the new Internet craze “Gwiyomi” caught fire among Pinoy netizens unseating the Korean pop song “Gangnam Style,” which also hit the Philippines by storm last year.

“Gwiyomi” or “Kiyomi” is a slang used to refer to a cute person. Unlike the phenomenal hit “Gangnam Style,” the Gwiyomi song does not have an official video.

The "Cutie Song" is a digital track released by Korean indie singer Hari on February 18, 2013.

Based on the Internet meme known as “Gwiyomi player” which first appeared in October 2012 on a South Korean variety show called, “BToB MTV DiaryMany,” the song went viral after BtoB member Jung Il Hoon made his own "interpretation" of the song.

Days after the digital release, Jung Il Hoon and his music label, Cube Entertainment, uploaded a separate version of the song on the famous video sharing platform, Youtube, causing the increase of the video’s hype and popularity.

Two versions sparked interest among Korean teenage girls, who soon started to upload their own videos of Gwiyomi. Using cute expressions and hand gestures, the Internet sensation spawned several interpretations across Asian countries like Taiwan, Thailand, Malaysia, Japan, and China.

Surpassing the popularity of Gangnam Style, the viral video also inspired local celebrities like Vice Ganda, Alodia Gosiengfiao and Aryana star Ella Cruz to make their own version of the Korean song.

TV host, Vice Ganda, who introduced the craze in the noontime show “It’s Showtime” on April 4 received a tweet from 2NE1 member Sandara Park asking the comedian about his Gwiyomi video.

Famous cosplayer Alodia Gosiengfiao uploaded her version online after receiving a lot of requests from her fans. Her video which has now garnered a total of 1.6 M views, influenced a lot of young Pinoys to also make their own rendition of the song.

For those who would like to learn the new craze, but cannot follow the gestures in the videos a "Gwiyomi" tutorial infographic has also gone viral.