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Kim Jong Un ‘Deeply Moved’ by K-Pop Concert

Dear Leader treated to diplomatic concert.

Not many bands can count Kim Jong Un as a fan, but the North Korean leader apparently took a shine to K-Pop band Red Velvet while he was treated to a concert hosted in Pyongyang on Sunday. The two-hour gig—the first time in a decade South Korean musicians have traveled to the North—was the latest diplomatic effort to bring the two countries closer. The North Korean leader and his wife, Ri Sol Ju, reportedly shook hands with the performers and took pictures with them. The leader “was deeply moved to see our people sincerely acclaiming the performance, deepening the understanding of the popular art of the south side,” according to North Korea state news agency KCNA. The state-run mouthpiece also reported that Kim enjoyed the concert, which surprised some in Seoul as, under his rule, it’s been a punishable crime for North Koreans to consume South Korea popular culture including music, movies, and soap operas.