North Korea to Host First K-Pop Shows in 13 Years
South Korea announced on Tuesday (March 20) that it will send musical artists to perform in North Korea for the first time in 13 years.
Between March 31 and April 3, roughly 160 South Korean acts will visit their neighboring country, the South's Ministry of Unification said in a statement, per Reuters. Among the performers are K-pop girl group Red Velvet and industry veterans Cho Yong-pil and Lee Sun-hee. Yong-pil was the last South Korean singer to perform in the North, at a concert in Pyongyang in 2005.
The move signals softening ties between the two countries, who have endured longstanding tension for decades. It's meant as a reciprocal response to the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, where South Korea hosted North Korean artists in February.
"While we're on the stage, I believe it will be difficult to portray personal feelings towards denuclearisation," said singer and record producer Yoon Sang, who led the South's delegation on Tuesday. "Our first task will be to instill the same awe in North Korean audiences as we do our South Korean ones and make sure nothing is awkward."
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