The Korean girl group Red Velvet said they were surprised to receive an overwhelming reaction from the North Korean audience during their performance at the “Spring is Coming” concert in Pyongyang. Members of K-pop girlband "Red Velvet" speak to the media before departing for Pyongyang from Gimpo International Airport in Seoul on March 31, 2018.
(AFP PHOTO / Jung Yeon-je / MANILA BULLETIN) North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and his wife, Ri Sol-ju, were among the hundreds present during the concert. Youngest member Yeri said the audience “clapped a lot louder” than she thought they would. “They… sang along as well. I felt a lot less nervous because of that,” she shared. Red Velvet’s main vocalist Wendy echoed the same sentiment, saying the North Koreans “displayed a lot of positive responses.” “We had the mindset that even if there was no reaction, we would do our best since we were doing this to showcase our songs,” Wendy added. The group’s leader Irene, meanwhile, said that despite having a hard time during their performance the audience kept them energized. “When we were out of breath, the audience smiled and cheered for us,” Irene stated. Despite lacking a member, Joy, who had to skip the event due to conflict of schedule, the group successfully performed their hits “Red Flavor” and “Bad Boy”. Red Velvet was joined by Jo Yong Pil and Lee Sun Hee, Choi Jin Hee, Yoon Do Hyun, Baek Ji Young, Jung In, Ali, Kang San Ae, Kim Kwang Min, Yoon Sang, and Girls’ Generation’s Seohyun during the April 1st show held at the East Pyongyang Grand Theatre.