• 6 years ago
South Korea's 160-member art troupe to Pyongyang was unveiled on Tuesday.
It includes some of South Korea's most respected artists, as well as ballad singers and K-pop idols.
Our Lee Ji-won has the details.

Headed by the South Korean singer and composer Yoon Sang, the nation's art troupe that's visiting Pyongyang includes some of South Korea's most popular and well-renowned pop artists.

Living legend Cho Yong-pil is one of the artists on the list. Having made his debut 50 years ago, Cho had numerous record-breaking albums and hit songs,... including 'Mona Lisa' and 'Bounce'.
But on top of the pop songs, Cho also sang songs that long for one's hometown and the olden days of Korea,... arousing deep emotions in older fans.
And with such a wide range of music genres, and popularity across the generations, Cho had even held a solo concert in Pyongyang 13 years ago.

Choi Jin-hee and Lee Sun-hee are also some South Korean pop queens who are familiar to North Koreans.
Next month's concerts will be the fourth time Choi will be performing in the North, and the second time for Lee. Both artists had performed in numerous concerts promoting unification in the early 2000s. And one of Lee's songs, 'Dear J' was also performed by the North's Samjiyon Orchestra last month during their performance in Gangneung for the PyeongChang Olympics.

But besides these pop-legends, the troupe also consists of artists who will cover a wide range of musical genres. For instance, Baek Ji-yong, Jung-in and Ali are South Korea's female singer-songwriters who've written and performed emotion-filled songs and ballads.

And to add some drum beats and excitement, one of Seoul's best-known rock singers, Yoon Do-hyun will also take to the stage.

There will also be some popular K-pop stars. The idol group Girls' Generation's Seohyun, who's already collaborated with the Samjiyon Orchestra in Seoul last month, will this time have a chance to stand in front of a North Korean audience. Red Velvet will be the only idol group to be performing in the North. With their catchy songs and flashy dance performances, the group has won numerous prestigious prizes and awards in South Korea.

With just around 10 days to prepare for the performance, there are many eyes on how the art troupe will organize the first South Korean artists' stage in Pyongyang in 13 years.
Lee Ji-won, Arirang News.

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