Pyongyang’s ‘Executed’ Pop Diva Creates Pre-Olympics Frenzy in South Korea

Hyon Song Wol, the North Korean pop diva who was reportedly executed by a North Korean firing squad just four years ago, is creating a media frenzy in the run-up to the Pyeongchang Games next month. The pop diva-turned-senior-ruling-party-official has caused waves during two trips across the Demilitarized Zone while working as a negotiator to smooth out details of the reclusive nation’s participation in the Winter Olympics. Hyon, who is now serving as one of the most influential women in Pyongyang, will reportedly lead the North’s Samjiyon Orchestra next month during the Games.