It was due to be their first overseas appearance. They are a contrast to the staid image of the brand of authoritarian socialism that has existed for decades in North Korea under the rule of three generations of the same family.
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However, it was all smiles ahead of the visit, with the Rodong Sinmun declared: ‘The DPRK State Merited Chorus and Moranbong Band will pay friendship visit to China to give performances from December 10 to 15.
China and North Korea are traditional allies and have been described as close “as lips and teeth” in the past.
Several subsequent rounds of sabre rattling by Pyongyang have also tested Beijing’s patience.
North Korea’s state news agency, KCNA, blamed the South for failing to address “core issues”, such as the Mount Kumgang tours, and “resorting to unreasonable assertion, which led the talks to nowhere”.
The ensemble, whose members were reportedly handpicked by Kim, was formed in 2012.
The group, Moranbong Band, has about 20 members, all slim young women who wear tight dresses and high heels while performing both Western pop songs and North Korean revolutionary standards.
The band’s stage set was dismantled and its concerts were cancelled.
Members of the Korean People’s Army State Merited Chorus, which was scheduled to perform together with the Moranbong Band, were not seen at the airport.
The band members, dressed in military-style, long olive winter coats and fur hats, arrived in Beijing by train from Pyongyang on Thursday.
One Chinese journalist speculated that the group had refused to perform after Chinese officials requested a change in lyrics, but no official explanation has been given.
“We just received a notice that the three days of concerts were all cancelled”, an operator with the centre’s hotline said when reached by the Sunday Morning Post at 6pm – 90 minutes before the performance was to start.
Around 3 p.m., employees at the Chinese Culture Ministry who had been given free tickets for the concerts were sent a WeChat message saying that the concerts had been canceled.
Although North Korea is well known for its unpredictability, the sudden cancellation of the concerts could harm relations between Beijing and Pyongyang as ties have already been cooler since Kim assumed power in 2011.
The commission of inquiry report detailed wide-ranging abuses in North Korea including prison camps, systematic torture, starvation and killings. However, Kim’s unwillingness to visit China and his government’s refusal to restart denuclearization talks have frustrated the Chinese leadership.
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South Korea, meanwhile, wanted the North to agree to regular reunions for families separated by the Korean War.
