{{Short description|2018 concert in Pyongyang}} {{Infobox concert | concert_name = ''Spring Is Coming'' | image = | caption = | artist = Choi Jung-in, Cho Yong-pil, Lee Sun-hee, Yoon Do-hyun, Baek Ji-young, Choi Jin-hee, Kang San-ae, Seohyun, Kim Kwang-min, YB, Red Velvet, Samjiyon Orchestra | type = Cultural diplomacy | date = April 1 and 3, 2018 | location = Pyongyang, North Korea | venue = East Pyongyang Grand Theatre, Ryugyong Chung Ju-yung Gymnasium | guests = Kim Jong-un, Ri Sol-ju | tour = | album = <!-- or | albums = --> | number_of_shows = Two | duration = | support_act = South Korean taekwondo artists<!-- or | support_acts = --> | attendance = | gross = | website = | last_concert = | this_concert = | next_concert = }} '''''Spring Is Coming''''' ({{Korean|봄이 온다|rr=Bomi Onda|mr=Pomi Onta|context=north}}) was a concert that occurred in Pyongyang, North Korea, on April 1 and 3, 2018. It included numerous South Korean performers, and was described as an important event in the 2018 thaw in the North Korea–South Korea relations.<ref name=":0">{{Cite news|url=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|title=North Korea's Kim Jong Un, wife, watch South Korean K-pop stars...|last=Kim|first=Christine|work=U.S.|access-date=2018-04-27|language=en-US}}</ref>
==Background== [[File:Samjiyon Orchestra's second performance in Seoul, February 11, 2018.jpg|thumb|North Korea's musical ensemble Samjiyon Orchestra had its second performance in Seoul, South Korea on February 11, 2018. On this night, K-pop girl group Girls' Generation member Seohyun surprised the audience by making an appearance on the stage.]] The event has been described as the first South Korean musical performance in the North in "over a decade".<ref name=":0" /> The previous South Korean performance in the North took place in 2005, with a solo concert by Cho Yong-pil.<ref name=":0" /> The ''Spring Is Coming'' concert was described as a "reciprocal cultural visit" after North Korea sent performers to the South.<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.newsweek.com/kim-jong-un-south-korea-pyongyang-north-korea-party-873036|title=Kim Jong Un's closest aides made sure alcohol was flowing as South Korean singers partied in Pyongyang|date=2018-04-06|work=Newsweek|access-date=2018-05-03|language=en}}</ref> In particular, North Korea's Samjiyon Orchestra gave several concerts coinciding with the 2018 Winter Olympics, including a concert in Seoul on February 11, attended by North Korean leader's sister and, at the time, Deputy Director of the Propaganda and Agitation Department Kim Yo-jong and South Korean President Moon Jae-in.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/nation/2018/02/718_244065.html|title=North Korea's Samjiyon Orchestra performs in Seoul|date=2018-02-12|work=koreatimes|access-date=2018-05-03|language=en}}</ref>
==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 which seats 1,500.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1">{{Cite web|url=http://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/news/article/article.aspx?aid=3046143|title=South Korean concerts in Pyongyang set for April 1 and 3|website=Korea JoongAng Daily|access-date=2018-05-03}}</ref> Performers included at least 11<ref name=":1" /> South Korean singers and vocalists, including Jung-In, Ali, Cho Yong-pil, Lee Sun-hee, Yoon Do-hyun, Baek Ji-young, Kang San-ae, Seohyun, pianist Kim Kwang-min, five-member rock band YB, as well as five-member K-pop girl band Red Velvet (though one of Red Velvet band members, Joy, did not attend due to scheduling conflicts<ref name=":2">{{Cite news|url=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|title=Red Velvet’s Joy Absence In North Korea’s ‘''Spring Is Coming''’ Concert Explained, Netizens Slam Joy For Missing The Historic Event|last=koreaportal|date=2018-04-02|work=koreaportal|access-date=2018-05-03}}</ref>).<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" /> The second day featured a joint performance between South and North Korean musicians at the Ryugyong Chung Ju-yung Gymnasium (12,000 seats), with the North side represented by the Samjiyon Orchestra.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":2" /><ref name=":3">{{Cite news|url=https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2018/04/04/asia-pacific/south-korea-musicians-return-rare-pyongyang-joint-concert/|title=South Korea musicians return after rare Pyongyang joint concert|date=2018-04-04|work=The Japan Times Online|access-date=2018-05-03|language=en-US|issn=0447-5763|archive-date=2018-05-03|archive-url=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/|url-status=dead}}</ref> Approximately 190 South Koreans (musicians, support staff and journalists) traveled to the North for the event.<ref name=":1" /> In addition, South Korean taekwondo artists were to perform demonstrations on April 1 and 2, with the Sunday performance at the Pyongyang Taekwondo Hall drawing an audience of about 2,300.<ref name=":1" /><ref>{{Cite web |last= |first= |date=2018-04-01 |title=South Korean K-pop stars perform for Kim Jong-un in Pyongyang |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/apr/01/south-korean-k-pop-stars-perform-for-kim-jong-un-in-pyongyang |access-date=2018-05-03 |website=the Guardian |language=en}}</ref>
The concert on April 1 was attended by the North Korean leader, Kim Jong-un and his wife, Ri Sol-ju.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":3" /> Kim Jong-un was reported by media, including North Korean KCNA state news agency, and independent observers as enjoying himself, and praised the event himself.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":3" /> He also stated that North Korean musicians may hold another reciprocal event in the South in a few months, tentatively titled "Autumn has Come".<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://opinion.inquirer.net/112683/spring-coming-korean-peninsula|title=Spring is coming to the Korean Peninsula|last=Dong-man|first=Han|access-date=2018-05-03|language=en}}</ref> 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.<ref name=":0" /> 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, who blamed "a breakdown in cooperation between Kim Jong Un's security detail and concert organisers".<ref name=":0" /> The concerts have been seen as acts of cultural diplomacy.<ref>{{Cite web | title = North Korean leader Kim Jong-un attends 'K-pop' conference | last = Smith | first = Nicola | work = The Telegraph | date = 1 April 2018 | accessdate = 14 May 2018 | url = https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2018/04/01/north-korean-leader-kim-jong-un-attends-k-pop-conference/ }}</ref>
==See also== {{Portal|Music}} *2008 New York Philharmonic visit to North Korea *April 2018 inter-Korean summit *Korean reunification *North Korea at the 2018 Winter Olympics
==References== {{Reflist}}
Category:North Korea–South Korea relations Category:2018 in North Korea Category:2018 concerts Category:Organized events in Pyongyang Category:Cultural diplomacy