(EDITORIAL from Korea Times on Jan. 17)

NK's arts performances
Concerts should be devoted to music conducive to reconciliatory mood

North Korea will send an art troupe to perform concerts in Seoul and Gangneung during the PyeongChang Winter Olympic Games, the Ministry of Unification announced Monday.

The agreement for concerts by a 140-member arts delegation, including the renowned Samjiyon Band, was the first outcome of working-level negotiations following high-level talks last week on North Korea's participation in the Games.
The performances have a special significance in the history of cultural exchanges between the two Koreas. It will be the first time in more than 15 years for North Korean artists to perform in South Korea.

During the Kim Dae-jung administration in 2002, various North Korean artists visited the South to perform in Seoul. In 2000, the State Symphony Orchestra of North Korea held a concert in Seoul and KBS Symphony reciprocated in 2002 with a concert in Pyongyang.

The upcoming concerts by the Samjiyon Band are expected to play a great role in bringing the peoples of the two countries together amid icy inter-Korean relations. For this, the performances should not carry any element of propaganda from the North Korean regime or hostile content against the U.S. North Korea's main arts troupes, including the Samjiyon and Moranbong bands, are known for performing material dedicated to honoring the ruling Kim dynasty.

North Korea has a history of performing propaganda music outside its borders. The Unhasu Orchestra, which came under global attention for a 2012 Paris concert under the baton of South Korean conductor Chung Myung-whun, performed pieces at the concert about the founding leader Kim Il-sung's "industrial achievements" and the "benevolence" of his successor Kim Jong-il.

Our government needs to ensure similar material is not included in the program of the Samjiyon Band when it comes to Korea for the Olympic performances. Otherwise, the concerts will overshadow President Moon Jae-in's good intentions to create a reconciliatory mood between the two Koreas through his drive for holding a "peace Olympics."

The visiting musicians should perform music that all Koreans in the South and North know, such as "Arirang" and other folk songs. That will help South and North Koreans regain their identity as one people, even if it's just for that one day of the concert.

The North Korean delegation to the Olympics will include not only athletes, but also a cheering squad, taekwondo demonstration team and journalists. Our government should be firm in ensuring any support for them is carried out within the boundaries of U.N. sanctions.

There are various concerns regarding the forthcoming visit by North Korean Olympic delegation among the South Korean public. Cultural exchanges are vital in bridging the two Koreas. We hope North Korea's PyeongChang participation will pave the way for more regular cultural and sports exchanges.

(END)