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South Korean musicians and a taekwondo demonstration team returned home via a chartered flight early Wednesday after performing in Pyongyang for the first time in more than a decade.
The delegation, led by Culture Minister Do Jong-hwan, arrived at Incheon Airport at 3:40 a.m.
The 160-member art troupe -- including South Korean veteran musician Cho Yong-pil, girl group Red Velvet, and Girls’ Generation’s Seohyun -- held two performances during their four-day visit to Pyongyang.
The South Korean pop stars held their second and final performance on Tuesday in collaboration with the North’s Samjiyon Orchestra before heading back to South Korea. The joint concert titled “We Are One” was held at the fully packed 12,000-seat Ryugyong Jong Ju Yong Gymnasium in Pyongyang.
The first concert held Sunday was attended by the North’s leader Kim Jong-un and his wife, Ri Sol-ju. It is the first time a North Korean leader has attended such event.
“Thanks to all the support, we managed to end the two shows safely,” Yun Sang, a singer-songwriter who was tapped as the delegation’s musical director, said upon arrival.
“We were all unbelievably moved by the opportunity (to perform in the North). We thought that we would be able to comprehend what we’ve just participated in after arriving at Incheon,” Yun Sang said.
The rare concerts -- which were arranged after Seoul agreed to send artists to the North’s capital earlier this month -- signaled improved inter-Korean ties and alleviated border tension through cultural exchange.
There were reports of Kim and Do discussing a possibility of another round of concerts titled “Autumn Came” to be held in Seoul, according to pool reports from Pyongyang.
But when asked about the prospects of follow-up inter-Korean concerts in Seoul in fall, Yun Sang said no decision has been made yet.
During the trip, Do and his North Korean counterpart agreed that the two Koreas should make a joint entrance at the opening ceremony for the 2018 Jakarta-Palembang Asian Games, a press pool report said. In addition, Do expressed hopes for a unified South-North taekwondo team at the games.
The South’s taekwondo demonstration team also held two performances during its Pyongyang trip.
The South Korean art troupe traveled to Pyongyang ahead of a landmark inter-Korean summit slated for April 27.
By Jung Min-kyung & Joint Press Corps (mkjung@heraldcorp.com)
