North Korean Orchestra Plans to Perform in South Korea During Winter Olympics<br />To avoid having the orchestra performances become a political controversy, South Korean negotiators are expected to insist<br />that the North Korean artists not sing songs or use stage props that would surely cause ire among South Koreans, including any references to, or images of, North Korean missiles.<br />The South Korean government said it hoped that the North Korean orchestra would "contribute to improving relations<br />and recovering the cultural homogeneity." Both sides have not decided whether the North Koreans will hold any joint concerts with a South Korean orchestra.<br />The orchestra, known as the Samjiyon Band, one of the North’s top arts troupes, will enter South Korea by crossing over at Panmunjom, a border village,<br />and will perform twice in the South: once in Seoul, the South Korean capital, and once in Gangneung, a city on the east coast where some of the Olympic competitions will be held.<br />15, 2018<br />HONG KONG — A 140-member North Korean pop orchestra will stage rare performances in<br />South Korea during the Winter Olympics next month, the two Koreas agreed on Monday.<br />After years of denouncing the South as an American stooge, Mr. Kim, the North Korean leader, used his New Year’s Day speech to propose a dialogue<br />to discuss his country’s participation in the Winter Olympics being held in the South Korean town of Pyeongchang beginning Feb. 7.<br />In border talks held at Panmunjom last week, the two sides agreed<br />that North Korea would send athletes and cheerleaders, as well as an art troupe, journalists and a taekwondo demonstration team.
