Kim Jong-un meets orchestra that performed at Winter Olympics

Kim Jong-un meets orchestra that performed at Winter Olympics

SEOUL, Feb. 12, 2018 (Xinhua) -- South Korean President Moon Jae-in (1st R front), Kim Yong Nam (1st R front), president of the Presidium of the Supreme People

(Photo: Reuters)

Seoul: Hyon Song-wol, leader of the North Korean art troupe, gets into a car at Grand Walkerhill hotel in eastern Seoul on Feb. 12, 2018, to return to Pyongyang by land after two performances in Gangneung and Seoul to celebrate the opening of the PyeongChang Olympics. The art troupe consisting of 140 orchestra members, singers and dancers performed at the Haeoreum Hall of the National Theater of Korea in downtown Seoul the previous day. The show was attended by President Moon Jae-in and Kim Yo-j

Pyongyang, Feb 13 (IANS) North Korean leader Kim Jong-un met members of the Samjiyon orchestra that had performed at the ongoing PyeongChang Winter Olympics in South Korea and congratulated them on their success, state media reported on Tuesday.Kim had a photo session with the members of the 140-member group when they returned to Pyongyang on Monday and praised their "high artistic ability", reports Efe news."Kim Jong-un warmly congratulated the orchestra upon its successes by conveying the warm mind of the people in the North, who are hoping for the successful Winter Olympics and national reconciliation," the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said.According to KCNA, the leader received a report from the orchestra about the atmosphere during their performances and said he was pleased that "the fellow countrymen in the South, including President Moon Jae-in and his wife expressed satisfaction over the performances".Concerts in South Korea by the orchestra, led by Hyon Song-wol, who is also part of the famous North Korean all-female band Moranbong, were a part of agreements signed in January by the two Koreas about the North's participation in the Winter Olympics, which started on February 7 in PyeongChang.The group held a concert on February 8 in the South Korean city of Gangneung, an Olympic venue, and another on Sunday 11 in the National Theater of South Korea, attended by Kim Yo-jong, the North Korean leader's sister and Kim Yong-nam, leader of the North's national assembly.Samjiyon's performances were the first by North Korean artists in the South since 2002.--IANSksk

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