Warm Reception | KBS뉴스 | KBS NEWS

[Anchor Lead]
The South Korean musicians sang a wide range of South Korean pop songs to their North Korean audience, from hits by Cho Yong-pil and Choi Jin-hee's that might be familiar to fans in the North, to more recent chart-toppers like Red Velvet's "Red Flavor." According to reports, the North did not request any changes in the repertoire or choreography.
[Pkg]
The most eye-catching presence among the 11 teams of South Korean musicians is none other than girl group Red Velvet. The girls had a hint of "capitalistic debauchery" that the North detested and their selection of songs, "Red Flavor" and "Bad Boy," could have been interpreted as targeting Kim Jong-un. But contrary to these concerns, the response from the North Korean audience was quite accepting.
[Soundbite] Red Velvet : "Their reactions were great. They clapped a lot and kept applauding even after we left the stage."
[Soundbite] Seohyun(MC, Girls' Generation) : "I hope that we can look at each other and feel deeply in our hearts that we are one."
All eleven groups of participating musicians wrapped up their first show in Pyongyang by singing together Cho Yong-pil's "Friend" and North Korean songs such as "Let's Meet Again" and "Our Wish Is."
A South Korean government source said that the North Koreans did not ask for any changes in the South Korean singers' repertoires or choreographies. However, South Korean journalists were prohibited from covering the event, except for one photographer. The South Korean government support staff was criticized for not being aware of the coverage ban beforehand.