North Korea’s pop band cancel’s concerts in China

Neither Ji nor the band members responded to questions by reporters there.

It was unclear Saturday evening whether the band was still in Beijing.

According to South Korea’s Yonhap news agency, citing government sources, China had chose to send only lower-ranking cadres to the propaganda band’s show, a response to show their anger at Mr Kim’s boast last week that the North possessed a hydrogen bomb.

China’s official Xinhua news agency said the performance could not be staged due to “communication issues at the working level”.

A story posted a week prior to the Moranbong Band’s arrival, titled “Kim Jong-un’s dark secret”, was read over 100,000 times and detailed some of Kim’s previous relationships and mysteries around ex-girlfriends’ disappearances.

“The finance and banking sectors should be aware of the serious responsibility provided by great former leaders, then improve and strengthen the projects in a revolutionary way, facing current development”, Kim said in comments reported by Rodong Sinmun.

The singers and the musicians, sometimes wearing skirts cut well above the knee, are known for fancy dance steps and their performances have been considered modern and seductive by North Korean standards.

“Performances given by the all-female band are fresh and innovative in vocal and instrumental music, stage structure and other aspects”.

Moranbong Band had been scheduled to hold three concerts in Beijing, the first on Saturday night. “Chinese people will also have a worse image of North Korea, which means it could put a dent in tourism to the North”.

Diplomats and experts were closely watching to see if those attending the performances would include any top Chinese political figures. In October, high-ranking Chinese official Liu Yunshan visited Pyongyang, and this visit by the Moranbong Band was widely publicized in the Chinese press.

He spent hours together with Kim at that time and both sides agreed to promote closer bilateral ties.

China has traditionally been North Korea’s sole regional ally and main provider of trade and aid, but Kim has yet to visit Beijing, three years after inheriting power from his father Kim Jong-Il.

Chinese President Xi Jinping had been expected to snub the invitation-only tour, but another issue might have been media coverage of one of the band’s members – Hyon Song-wol.

The Moranbong Band was formed in 2012 and the all-female group plays their own instruments.

“China has been clear about its position on North Korea denuclearization”, Zhang said. Although the demarcation between the phases was ambiguous in the speech, the Park administration is reportedly insisting that the price for large-scale economic cooperation such as Mount Kumgang’s re-opening is North Korea’s renewed commitment to denuclearization.