North Korean Girl Band Abruptly Cancels Beijing Concert

The news proved to be far too insulting for Mr Kim, who ordered the immediate return of the Moranbong Band. “Chinese people will also have a worse image of North Korea, which means it could put a dent in tourism to the North”.

Beijing was also said to be angry at Kim’s declaration that North Korea is now a “powerful nuclear weapons state ready to detonate self-reliant A-bombs and H-bombs”, made on the eve of the band’s first scheduled appearance in China.

The simultaneous breakdown of North Korean efforts to reach out to South Korea and China over the past weekend could suggest that Pyongyang cannot play the game the way it wants and rebuild its economy as long as it remains on a nuclear path, a USA expert said Tuesday.

The band’s China visit had been seen as an indication of improving relations between China and its isolated neighbour.

“The citizens in the DPRK have praised the Moranbong Band, now on a friendship performance tour of China together with the State Merited Chorus, as an art troupe of national treasure for its peculiar artistic influence”, reported KCNA in an article published December 11, the day before the band walked away from their big worldwide debut.

South Korea’s Yonhap news agency quoted an unnamed Chinese official as saying that Pyongyang had initially sought President Xi Jinping or Premier Li Keqiang’s attendance.

RFA reported that Chinese officials asked for some songs to be dropped after attending a rehearsal last Friday.

In May next year, North Korea will celebrate the first general meeting of the Workers’ Party in 36 years, during which important economic reforms could be announced, according to analysts. While making Kim Jong-un angry is probably not the wisest idea at this particular point in time, China has even begun online censoring of the Moranbong Band.

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

Relations between Beijing and Pyongyang have reportedly been strained since Kim Jong Un came to power four years ago, but there have been signs of a thawing in recent months.

There was no immediate word from North Korea on the band’s departure.

“Possibility is high that the abrupt cancellation may be related to the ‘top dignity, ‘” the professor said, referring to the North Korean leader’s dignity and authority. Despite the visits exchanged by Choe and Liu, Beijing and Pyongyang have more work to do to get their relationship back on track.