# Spring Is Coming

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***Spring Is Coming*** (RR: *Bomi Onda*; MR: *Pomi Onta*) was a concert that occurred in [Pyongyang](/source/Pyongyang), [North Korea](/source/North_Korea), on April 1 and 3, 2018. It included numerous [South Korean](/source/South_Korea) performers, and was described as an important event in the 2018 thaw in the [North Korea–South Korea relations](/source/North_Korea%E2%80%93South_Korea_relations).[1]

## Background

The event has been described as the first [South Korean](/source/South_Korea) musical performance in the North in "over a decade".[1] The previous South Korean performance in the North took place in 2005, with a solo concert by [Cho Yong-pil](/source/Cho_Yong-pil).[1] The *Spring Is Coming* concert was described as a "reciprocal cultural visit" after [North Korea](/source/North_Korea) sent performers to the South.[1][2] In particular, North Korea's [Samjiyon Orchestra](/source/Samjiyon_Orchestra) gave several concerts coinciding with the [2018 Winter Olympics](/source/2018_Winter_Olympics), including a concert in [Seoul](/source/Seoul) on February 11, attended by North Korean leader's sister and, at the time, Deputy Director of the [Propaganda and Agitation Department](/source/Propaganda_and_Agitation_Department) [Kim Yo-jong](/source/Kim_Yo-jong) and South Korean President [Moon Jae-in](/source/Moon_Jae-in).[3]

## The concert

The *Spring Is Coming* concert took part over two days: April 1 (Sunday) and April 3 (Tuesday). The first day featured a 2 hour long concert at the [East Pyongyang Grand Theatre](/source/East_Pyongyang_Grand_Theatre) which seats 1,500.[1][4] Performers included at least 11[4] South Korean singers and vocalists, including [Jung-In](/source/Choi_Jung-in), [Ali](/source/Ali_(South_Korean_singer)), [Cho Yong-pil](/source/Cho_Yong-pil), [Lee Sun-hee](/source/Lee_Sun-hee_(singer)), [Yoon Do-hyun](/source/Yoon_Do-hyun), [Baek Ji-young](/source/Baek_Ji-young), [Kang San-ae](/source/Kang_San-ae), [Seohyun](/source/Seohyun), pianist [Kim Kwang-min](/source/Kim_Kwang-min_(pianist)), five-member rock band [YB](/source/YB_(band)), as well as five-member [K-pop](/source/K-pop) [girl band](/source/All-female_band) [Red Velvet](/source/Red_Velvet_(band)) (though one of Red Velvet band members, [Joy](/source/Joy_(singer)), did not attend due to scheduling conflicts[5]).[1][4] The second day featured a joint performance between South and North Korean musicians at the [Ryugyong Chung Ju-yung Gymnasium](/source/Pyongyang_Arena) (12,000 seats), with the North side represented by the Samjiyon Orchestra.[4][5][6] Approximately 190 South Koreans (musicians, support staff and journalists) traveled to the North for the event.[4] In addition, South Korean [taekwondo](/source/Taekwondo) artists were to perform demonstrations on April 1 and 2, with the Sunday performance at the [Pyongyang Taekwondo Hall](/source/Pyongyang_Taekwondo_Hall) drawing an audience of about 2,300.[4][7]

The concert on April 1 was attended by the North Korean leader, [Kim Jong-un](/source/Kim_Jong-un) and his wife, [Ri Sol-ju](/source/Ri_Sol-ju).[1][6] Kim Jong-un was reported by media, including North Korean [KCNA](/source/Korean_Central_News_Agency) state news agency, and independent observers as enjoying himself, and praised the event himself.[1][6] He also stated that North Korean musicians may hold another reciprocal event in the South in a few months, tentatively titled "Autumn has Come".[8] Ordinary North Koreans may be persecuted for listening to foreign media without state permission; North Koreans caught watching South Korean movies, for example, face prison time.[1] Although South Korean journalists were specifically invited to cover the concert, they were prevented from doing so, though apologized to by North intelligence director [Kim Yong-chol](/source/Kim_Yong-chol), who blamed "a breakdown in cooperation between Kim Jong Un's security detail and concert organisers".[1] The concerts have been seen as acts of [cultural diplomacy](/source/Cultural_diplomacy).[9]

## See also

- [2008 New York Philharmonic visit to North Korea](/source/2008_New_York_Philharmonic_visit_to_North_Korea)
- [April 2018 inter-Korean summit](/source/April_2018_inter-Korean_summit)
- [Korean reunification](/source/Korean_reunification)
- [North Korea at the 2018 Winter Olympics](/source/North_Korea_at_the_2018_Winter_Olympics)

## References

1. Kim, Christine. ["North Korea's Kim Jong Un, wife, watch South Korean K-pop stars..."](https://www.reuters.com/article/us-northkorea-missiles-southkorea-perfor/north-koreas-kim-jong-un-wife-watch-south-korean-k-pop-stars-perform-in-pyongyang-idUSKCN1H81A5). *U.S.*. Retrieved 2018-04-27.

1. ["Kim Jong Un's closest aides made sure alcohol was flowing as South Korean singers partied in Pyongyang"](http://www.newsweek.com/kim-jong-un-south-korea-pyongyang-north-korea-party-873036). *Newsweek*. 2018-04-06. Retrieved 2018-05-03.

1. ["North Korea's Samjiyon Orchestra performs in Seoul"](https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/nation/2018/02/718_244065.html). *koreatimes*. 2018-02-12. Retrieved 2018-05-03.

1. ["South Korean concerts in Pyongyang set for April 1 and 3"](http://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/news/article/article.aspx?aid=3046143). *[Korea JoongAng Daily](/source/Korea_JoongAng_Daily)*. Retrieved 2018-05-03.

1. koreaportal (2018-04-02). ["Red Velvet’s Joy Absence In North Korea’s ‘*Spring Is Coming*’ Concert Explained, Netizens Slam Joy For Missing The Historic Event"](http://en.koreaportal.com/articles/44422/20180402/red-velvet-s-joy-absence-in-north-korea-s-spring-is-coming-concert-explained-netizens-slam-joy-for-missing-the-historic-event.htm). *koreaportal*. Retrieved 2018-05-03.

1. ["South Korea musicians return after rare Pyongyang joint concert"](https://web.archive.org/web/20180503220814/https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2018/04/04/asia-pacific/south-korea-musicians-return-rare-pyongyang-joint-concert/). *The Japan Times Online*. 2018-04-04. [ISSN 0447-5763](https://www.worldcat.org/issn/0447-5763). Archived from [the original](https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2018/04/04/asia-pacific/south-korea-musicians-return-rare-pyongyang-joint-concert/) on 2018-05-03. Retrieved 2018-05-03.

1. ["South Korean K-pop stars perform for Kim Jong-un in Pyongyang"](https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/apr/01/south-korean-k-pop-stars-perform-for-kim-jong-un-in-pyongyang). *the Guardian*. 2018-04-01. Retrieved 2018-05-03.

1. Dong-man, Han. ["Spring is coming to the Korean Peninsula"](http://opinion.inquirer.net/112683/spring-coming-korean-peninsula). Retrieved 2018-05-03.

1. Smith, Nicola (1 April 2018). ["North Korean leader Kim Jong-un attends 'K-pop' conference"](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2018/04/01/north-korean-leader-kim-jong-un-attends-k-pop-conference/). *The Telegraph*. Retrieved 14 May 2018.

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Spring Is Coming](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spring_Is_Coming) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spring_Is_Coming?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.