Famous orchestra director spotted among North Korean delegation

Director of the North Korean Samjiyon Orchestra Hyon Song-wol was seen riding a bus in Singapore after arriving with the North Korean delegation on June 10. (Yonhap News)

Hyon Song-wol’s presence possible indication of future exchange in the areas of sports and culture

Director of the North Korean Samjiyon Orchestra Hyon Song-wol was seen riding a bus in Singapore after arriving with the North Korean delegation on June 10. (Yonhap News)

Samjiyon Orchestra director Hyon Song-wol’s presence in Singapore is raising questions over the reasons for her visit to the city while the North Korea-US summit is taking place there.

Hyon is a very well-known face for South Koreans, having led a group of North Korean performers during the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics and sung with South Korean singer Cho Yong-pil at a dinner during a recent inter-Korean summit. Some observers have raised the possibility North Korea and the US could discuss cultural exchange efforts if things go smoothly with their summit diplomacy.

On June 10, Hyon was spotted in Singapore riding a bus for the visiting North Korean delegation. Her presence could be seen as somewhat unexpected at a summit where the major agenda issue is denuclearization.

The US online journal Axios previously reported on the possibility that the US and North Korea could broaden the scope of their relationship to exchanges in the areas of sports and culture. Presenting “McDonald’s and musicians” as keywords for the summit, the site quoted US officials and other sources as saying Trump planned to use a “strategy to impress as well as intimidate” during their meeting.

According to sources, the US diplomatic team has discussed the symbolic opening of a McDonald’s in North Korea as an icon of US fast food culture, or the selection of a list of athletes and musicians for cultural exchanges. The site also reported that “the U.S. officials involved in pre-summit discussions have been exploring ways to engage North Korea beyond standard official diplomacy.”

“[T]he Trump team is considering avenues for cultural engagement, including the possibility of the U.S. hosting North Korean gymnasts and Pyongyang's symphony orchestra,” the report said, explaining that the idea was inspired by the “Ping Pong diplomacy” attempted by the US and China in the 1970s to overcome Cold War antagonisms.

In 1971, a thaw between Washington and Beijing was set in motion when US table tennis players traveled to China for a visit; a historic example of detente occurred the following year when then-President Richard Nixon visited himself.

In this sense, some observers are saying Hyon’s inclusion in the visiting Singapore delegation may reflect the possibility of North Korea-US cultural exchange: if the US does move first in that direction, the North Korean side would need a partner for related discussions. Some are also speculating Hyon may give a brief performance if a dinner or lunch is organized between the two leaders. Hyon already captured the world’s attention during the Winter Olympics, and her performance previously served as a “lubricant” for an inter-Korean summit.

By Jung Se-ra, staff reporter

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