North Korea’s girl band Moranbong cancels shows, leaves China abruptly

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un emphasized the leading role of the Workers’ Party of Korea (WPK) and united initiatives of the projects.

The KCNA said earlier the event, which would be the first of its kind in 36 years, would take place in early May.

As with many things about North Korea, the reasons behind this sudden change were unknown.

The band was originally scheduled to perform in Beijing on December 12, but with only about three hours left to the show the girl group pulled the plug and boarded a flight home. One person, writing under the name Tianping Kuihua, said sarcastically that Kim had a knack for strategy: “One moment he is sending his imperial harems and beauties to attract the attention of the Chinese people, and another moment he is announcing he has a hydrogen bomb”.

The band’s director, Hyun Song-wol, refused, saying the songs had been chosen by North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.

State media in both North Korea and China have made no comment on why the concerts were cancelled, with Xinhua News Agency only conceding that “communications issues at the working level” had forced the decision. Amid the deadlock Hyon suddenly took umbrage with remarks from a staffer at the National Centre for the Performing Arts in Beijing and ordered the band to pack up and leave.

The cancellation of a musical performance isn’t a serious long-term setback for China-North Korea relations, but it does symbolize the current state of ties.

After the Moranbong Band’s abrupt cancelation of their performances in Beijing over the weekend, it appears Chinese censors went to work deleting speculation and chatter about the North Korean girl band on mainland sites.

Members of the Moranbong Band from North Korea arrive at Beijing International Airport before departing from Beijing on Saturday. Ties between the sides have reportedly been cooler since Kim assumed power in 2011.

China is North Korea’s only major ally and its economic lifeline, but their relations were not as strong as they used to be, especially after Pyongyang’s third nuclear test in February 2013 in defiance of U.N. Security Council resolutions. The all-female group was to perform for selected state officials (their core fanbase) alongside North Korea’s State Merited Chorus.

As to the scheduled party congress to be attended by more than 3,000 officials, the KINU said it would introduce more new faces in the ruling elite rather than fresh policies. In October, high-ranking Chinese official Liu Yunshan visited Pyongyang, and this visit by the Moranbong Band was widely publicized in the Chinese press.