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North Korean leader Kim Jong-un waves to the audience prior to the “Spring is Coming” performance by a group of South Korean musicians at the East Pyongyang Grand Theatre of the afternoon of Apr. 1. (Photo Pool)
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The suggestion came after the “Spring is Coming” performance by South Korean musicians in Pyongyang
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un made a proposal on Apr. 1 to hold a North Korean performance in Seoul. “Speaking to [South Korean] President Moon Jae-in, I said that ‘spring is coming,’ and now we should carry this momentum forward to hold an ‘autumn is coming’ performance in Seoul this fall,” Kim reportedly said. Kim’s remarks were made in a meeting with the South Korean performers which was organized after the North Korean leader and his wife Ri Sol-ju viewed the “Spring Is Coming” performance by South Korean musicians at East Pyongyang Grand Theatre on the afternoon of Apr. 1. “We should stage culture and arts performances more frequently,” Kim was quoted as saying by one of the participants in the meeting. Kim also spoke the same day about his performance viewing schedule. “There was a lot of interest in whether I would come to see [girl group] Red Velvet. I had planned to come the day after tomorrow [on Apr. 3], but I changed my schedule and came today. Where there may be significance in North and South having a joint performance, it is also significant to watch a purely South Korean performance,” the participant reported. “President Moon watched the [inter-Korean] performance [in Seoul], and it is natural that I would watch this performance, even if it is only [South Korea],” Kim was also quoted as saying. The organizers also reported Kim as asking them to “communicate to President Moon Jae-in how good this occasion was” and expressing “thanks for this gift to the citizens of Pyongyang,” which he would “relate to [his late father] Chairman Kim Jong-il.” It was the first time ever that a top North Korean leader personally viewed a South Korean performance. Kim watched the performance, which began at 6:20 pm, with wife Ri Sol-ju. The South Korean musicians’ performance was originally scheduled to start at 5 pm, but was delayed at the request of the North Korean side. Kim and Ri applauded with the rest of the audience during the performance and showed a great deal of interest in inquiring about the lyrics to some of the songs, South Korean Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Do Jong-hwan reported. Kim also greeted and took pictures with the South Korean organizers after the two-hour, 10-minute performance finished. In addition to Kim and Ri, the Apr. 1 performance was also viewed by Kim’s younger sister, Workers’ Party Central Community first deputy director Kim Yo-jong; Supreme People’s Assembly Presidium president Kim Yong-nam; National Sports Guidance Committee chairman Choe Hwi; Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of the Fatherland chairman Ri Son-kwon; and [National Defense Commission] Secretariat director Kim Chang-son. A South Korean taekwondo demonstration team performance titled “Ignition: Lighting a Fire in the Heart” the same afternoon at Pyongyang’s Taekwondo Hall was attended by a group of seven officials including Choe; Secretariat bureau director Kim Chun-sik; Cabinet general affairs department head Kim Yong-ho; and president Kim Kyong-ho and vice presidents Pae Myong-man, Pak Yong-chol, and Om Chong-chol from the Korean Taekwondo Committee. The visiting performance by a South Korean taekwondo demonstration team was the first in 16 years since Sept. 2002, when the Korea Taekwondo Association was sent to Pyongyang for two demonstration performances at the Taekwondo Hall according to an agreement reached at inter-Korean ministerial-level talks. Choe Hwi, who also accompanied Kim Yo-jong during her Feb. 9 celebratory visit to South Korea for the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics opening ceremony, is the official overseeing sports in North Korea, described the performance as “sincerely prepared in its outcome.” “It would be good for [South and North] to learn each other’s good points for the future development of taekwondo,” Choe added. By Noh Ji-won, staff reporter Please direct questions or comments to [english@hani.co.kr]
