K-Pop time: S. Koreans fly to Pyongyang for rare concerts
Published Mar 31, 2018 06:24 am
By The Associated Press
SEOUL, South Korea — From aging crooners to bubbly K-Pop starlets, some of South Korea's biggest pop stars flew to North Korea on Saturday for rare performances that highlight the sudden thaw in inter-Korean ties after years of tensions over the North's nuclear ambitions.
South Korean popular girl band Red Velvet poses while speaking before leaving for North Korea at the Gimpo International Airport in Seoul, South Korea, Saturday, March 31, 2018. (AP Photo/Ahn Youg-joon)
The concerts in Pyongyang on Sunday and Tuesday come ahead of a historic summit between North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and South Korean President Moon Jae-in at a border village on April 27. The meeting, which will precede a planned summit between Kim and President Donald Trump in May, could prove to be significant in the global diplomatic push to resolve the standoff over the North's nuclear weapons and missiles program.
The 120-member group that flew to Pyongyang also included government officials, reporters and a taekwondo demonstration team that will perform in Pyongyang on Sunday and Monday. Another team of 70 South Korean technicians went to Pyongyang on Thursday to set up equipment.
A look at the singers who made the trip and a certain horse-dancing specialist who didn't:
The legend
North Korea during stormier times had described the South's society and culture as a "corrupt bourgeois lifestyle." Still, the Pyongyang concerts wouldn't be the first time southern pop singers have performed across the border.
It's the second trip for the iconic Cho Yong-pil, perhaps South Korea's most influential musician of the past 50 years. He staged a solo concert in Pyongyang in 2005 during a previous era of rapprochement between the rivals.
"It will be comfortable performing in the North as it is to perform in the South," the 68-year-old singer said in a news conference at South Korea's Gimpo Airport on Saturday. "There's no reason for me or other singers to be nervous. We all finished rehearsing and will have a fun and comfortable time showing our music."
Seoul hasn't officially announced the titles of the songs by the South Korean artists. Cho's "Dear Friend," a ballad about a long-lost friend that reportedly drew an enthusiastic response from the Pyongyang crowd 13 years ago, will almost certainly be one of them.
It would be the third North Korean performances for each female balladeers Choi Jin-hee and Lee Sun-hee, who are relatively well-known in the North.
The 61-year-old Choi will likely sing her biggest hit, "Maze of Love," which is rumored to have been a favorite of former North Korean leader Kim Jong Il, the late father of current leader Kim. Lee, who at 53 still might have the best pipes in the business, may sing "To J," which was one of several South Korean songs North Korean musicians performed during the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics.
"I hope we can create a stage where we can make an emotional connection and convey the warm feelings between the South and North," Choi said at the airport.
The girls
It won't be all slow ballads in Pyongyang. It'll be interesting to see how the North Koreans reacts to girl band Red Velvet, currently one of the most popular acts in the highly-competitive K-Pop scene.
The genre, which has a huge following across Asia, has been defined by synthesized music, powerful visuals and dance moves and teasing sexuality. South Korea's military in recent years has used K-pop for psychological warfare, blaring it from loudspeakers along the heavily-armored border between the rivals.
"Happiness! Hello, it's Red Velvet!" band member Seulgi cheerfully shouted at the airport. "We're the 'maknae' (youngest of the group), so we will make sure to deliver our bright energy to the North," said the 24-year-old.
K-Pop groups have performed before in North Korea. The now-disbanded Sechs Kies and Fin.K.L sang and danced in Pyongyang in 1999, as did boy band Shinhwa in 2003. Some of the artists later said the reaction from the audience was awkward and quiet.
Red Velvet may find a better reception more than a decade later as cultural tastes change, even in isolated North Korea. The North's most popular music act is Kim Jong Un's hand-picked Moranbong girl band, whose members often perform suggestive shimmies in short skirts with electric guitars.
Park Hyeong-il, an official at South Korea's Unification Ministry, said North Korean officials didn't show any discomfort about Red Velvet and also didn't take issue with the "red" in the band's name.
Red Velvet is originally a five-member band, but only four made the trip to Pyongyang — 22-year-old Joy stayed in South Korea to film a soap opera.
South Korean popular girl band Red Velvet poses while speaking before leaving for North Korea at the Gimpo International Airport in Seoul, South Korea, Saturday, March 31, 2018. (AP Photo/Ahn Youg-joon)
The concerts in Pyongyang on Sunday and Tuesday come ahead of a historic summit between North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and South Korean President Moon Jae-in at a border village on April 27. The meeting, which will precede a planned summit between Kim and President Donald Trump in May, could prove to be significant in the global diplomatic push to resolve the standoff over the North's nuclear weapons and missiles program.
The 120-member group that flew to Pyongyang also included government officials, reporters and a taekwondo demonstration team that will perform in Pyongyang on Sunday and Monday. Another team of 70 South Korean technicians went to Pyongyang on Thursday to set up equipment.
A look at the singers who made the trip and a certain horse-dancing specialist who didn't:
The legend
North Korea during stormier times had described the South's society and culture as a "corrupt bourgeois lifestyle." Still, the Pyongyang concerts wouldn't be the first time southern pop singers have performed across the border.
It's the second trip for the iconic Cho Yong-pil, perhaps South Korea's most influential musician of the past 50 years. He staged a solo concert in Pyongyang in 2005 during a previous era of rapprochement between the rivals.
"It will be comfortable performing in the North as it is to perform in the South," the 68-year-old singer said in a news conference at South Korea's Gimpo Airport on Saturday. "There's no reason for me or other singers to be nervous. We all finished rehearsing and will have a fun and comfortable time showing our music."
Seoul hasn't officially announced the titles of the songs by the South Korean artists. Cho's "Dear Friend," a ballad about a long-lost friend that reportedly drew an enthusiastic response from the Pyongyang crowd 13 years ago, will almost certainly be one of them.
It would be the third North Korean performances for each female balladeers Choi Jin-hee and Lee Sun-hee, who are relatively well-known in the North.
The 61-year-old Choi will likely sing her biggest hit, "Maze of Love," which is rumored to have been a favorite of former North Korean leader Kim Jong Il, the late father of current leader Kim. Lee, who at 53 still might have the best pipes in the business, may sing "To J," which was one of several South Korean songs North Korean musicians performed during the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics.
"I hope we can create a stage where we can make an emotional connection and convey the warm feelings between the South and North," Choi said at the airport.
The girls
It won't be all slow ballads in Pyongyang. It'll be interesting to see how the North Koreans reacts to girl band Red Velvet, currently one of the most popular acts in the highly-competitive K-Pop scene.
The genre, which has a huge following across Asia, has been defined by synthesized music, powerful visuals and dance moves and teasing sexuality. South Korea's military in recent years has used K-pop for psychological warfare, blaring it from loudspeakers along the heavily-armored border between the rivals.
"Happiness! Hello, it's Red Velvet!" band member Seulgi cheerfully shouted at the airport. "We're the 'maknae' (youngest of the group), so we will make sure to deliver our bright energy to the North," said the 24-year-old.
K-Pop groups have performed before in North Korea. The now-disbanded Sechs Kies and Fin.K.L sang and danced in Pyongyang in 1999, as did boy band Shinhwa in 2003. Some of the artists later said the reaction from the audience was awkward and quiet.
Red Velvet may find a better reception more than a decade later as cultural tastes change, even in isolated North Korea. The North's most popular music act is Kim Jong Un's hand-picked Moranbong girl band, whose members often perform suggestive shimmies in short skirts with electric guitars.
Park Hyeong-il, an official at South Korea's Unification Ministry, said North Korean officials didn't show any discomfort about Red Velvet and also didn't take issue with the "red" in the band's name.
Red Velvet is originally a five-member band, but only four made the trip to Pyongyang — 22-year-old Joy stayed in South Korea to film a soap opera.