N. Korean Performances

[Anchor Lead]

North Korea’s Samjiyon Band will stage rare performances in Seoul and Gangneung as part of the PyeongChang 2018 Winter Olympics festivities. This decision was reached on Monday at working-level inter-Korean talks. The North said it would like the band to travel to the South by land.​

[Soundbite] (Korean Central TV (N. Korea, Jan. 2017)) : "To mark the arrival of 2017, the Samjiyon Band staged a performance on January 1 at the Pyongyang Grand Theater."

[Pkg]

This 2017 New Year's performance that lasted about ten minutes featured eight American animation movies including Snow White, the Little Mermaid and Kung Fu Panda. It was staged by the Samjiyon Band, which was founded in 2009 by late North Korean leader Kim Jong-il to popularize music. The performance demonstrated the North's willingness to open up to the outside world. At the working-level inter-Korean talks on Monday, the North agreed to send a group including some 140 artists from the Samjiyon Band to the South. They will perform in Seoul and Gangneung. Sources say the North wants the artists to travel to the South by land. To prepare for their concerts, the North will soon send a delegation to the South.

[Soundbite] Lee Woo-sung(Min. of Culture, Sports & Tourism) : "We have agreed to continue to discuss details by exchanging documents via the Panmunjom hotline."

The South has promised to do everything it can to maximize the safety and convenience of the North Korean artists. On Wednesday morning, the two Koreas will hold working-level talks in the South's Peace House to discuss the North's participation in the Winter Olympics.