An all-female pop group from North Korea has ended its goodwill tour of China – before it even began. A news article on Sina.com, a Chinese website, with photos of the women in the airport was soon deleted.
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A staff member at the National Theatre, where the band was to give the invitation-only performances, confirmed the concerts were off, but did not give a reason.
Prior to the trip, North Korean state news outlet Korea Central News Agency (KCNA) promoted the shows as “friendship performances”.
The inquiry’s findings are a dark contrast to the boisterous national front presented by the Moranbong Band, whose hits include With Pride and My Country is the Best! The meeting was attended by Pyongyang’s top financial and banking officials.
The concerts had been seen as a sign of better relations between North Korea and its neighbour, ties that had been strained by Pyongyang’s nuclear test in 2013. Some Chinese internet users suggested the band’s cancellation is linked to North Korea’s announcement that it had developed a hydrogen bomb. A North Korean accent could not be detected from them. This likely upset North Korea, and the Moranbong Band abruptly withdrew hours before the performance and flew back to Pyongyang.
He refused to comment on why Kim withdrew the band which arrived here last week with a lot of fan fare.
Previous efforts to establish a regular dialogue have often quickly faltered after an initial meeting – a reflection of the deep mistrust between two countries that have remained technically at war since their conflict six decades ago. Their visit to China was seen as an indication of improving relations between China and its isolated neighbour. “Just a single performance is not enough”.
Although they were clothed in khaki-colored uniforms, their short hair was savvy, and their smoky eye makeup looked sophisticated.
Kim himself has yet to visit Beijing, three years after inheriting power from his father Kim Jong-Il. The two Koreas are officially still at war; the Korean War ended with a truce in 1953 and not a peace treaty.
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But things seemed to take a turn for the better in October, when Liu Yunshan, the fifth most senior official in China’s Communist Party, stood at Kim’s side during the 70th anniversary celebrations for the North’s Workers’ Party. Some call them the “North Korean Version of Girl’s Generation”.
