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North Korea's Kim 'Deeply Moved' By Pop Musicians From South


North Korean leader Kim Jong Un (right) meets South Korean K-pop singers in Pyongyang. (file photo)
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un (right) meets South Korean K-pop singers in Pyongyang. (file photo)

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said he was "deeply moved" by a concert of South Korean pop musicians paying a rare visit to Pyongyang, state media reports on April 2.

The appearance of Kim and his wife, former singer Ri Sol Ju, at the so-called K-pop concert was another indication of the thawing of relations between the peninsular rivals after years of heightened tensions over the North's nuclear program.

The event marked the first time a North Korean leader had ever attended a performance by entertainers from the South.

Kim shook hands with the performers and "expressed his deep thanks to them," the North's official KCNA news agency reported.

"He said that he was deeply moved to see our people sincerely acclaiming the performance, deepening the understanding of the popular art of the South's side," KCNA said.

The 120-member South Korean group -- 11 musical acts, dancers, technicians, and martial artists -- gave a concert on April 1 and is scheduled for another on April 3.

The girl band Red Velvet, part of the South's K-pop phenomenon that has drawn wide attention in Asia and elsewhere, was considered the headliner of the tour.

Based on reporting by AFP and AP

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