[Korea Times] NK broadcast on SK art troupe performance censored all artists besides Lee Sun Hee, the concert itself has not been aired

[GirlBye]

By Ko Dong-hwan
 

   

While North Korea's central TV station cut out Red Velvet and other artists from its news report on the South Korean art troupe's Pyongyang concert early this month, North Koreans found a way to watch the whole gig ― via smuggled USBs from China.

North Koreans used "Notetel," a Chinese-made electronic gadget that plays video, to watch the show.

The North's state broadcaster Korean Central Television released a three-minute, 20-second report that included a clip from the concert that, except for Lee Sun-hee's ballad number "Dear J," erased all the artists' names and muted their songs and comments. The hermit state is yet to air on television the concert held on April 1 and 3.

Someone possibly recorded the performance aired on South Korean television, saved it to USB and smuggled it into North Korea via China, Dong A Ilbo said. North Korean officials who monitor Chinese smuggling are usually those who distribute the content to Pyongyang because they "know what the contents are," the report said.

North Koreans who usually buy smuggled content from the South are those with high authority, according to North Korean defectors in Seoul. They watch the forbidden material on Notetel. The device is cheap and small, and its availability and functionality made it popular despite its "primitiveness" compared to the iPhone or Galaxy Note.

Red Velvet, the only K-pop band in the art troupe, raised concerns about how North Koreans would react to the stars' performance of dance numbers "Red Flavor" and "Bad Boy" in revealing clothes. 

South Korean TV reports on the concert showed North Koreans at the East Pyongyang Grand Theater quietly watching the performance. Yeri, Seulgi, Irene and Wendy from the SM Entertainment band said after the concert they weren't "as disappointed by the audience as they had worried."

 

Those who saw the concert on smuggled USBs liked "Don't Forget" by Baek Ji-young the most, a Pyongyang source said. The 2009 song is from the popular South Korean TV drama "Iris" shown on KBS. 

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un asked South Korea's culture minister Do Jong-whan, who led the art troupe, about Baek's song, saying "how good is she in Seoul?" according to Dong A's report.

"We were most concerned about Red Velvet when we prepared the concert," Yoon Sang, a veteran singer and song-writer who directed the troupe, said on a JTBC news show Monday. "We braced ourselves when the band took to the stage, without knowing the audience's reaction, because I watched the concert with North Koreans. I was relieved after I checked the recorded concert back in Seoul."

South Korean rock band YB held a concert in Pyongyang in 2002. "After Letting You Go," which the band sang, became a hit in the country and garnered nationwide popularity among young people. The same is expected of Baek's "Don't Forget," according to reports.

 

looks like it wasn't just red velvet that was censored but everyone sans lee sun hee

 

the show itself hasn't even been aired yet, just a news broadcast of it

 

as i stated in past threads, the editing out happened not because nk felt the performance(s) was bad but because they want to control the entertainment shown to its citizens

 

source

 

another source claims while everyone was censored they completely edited out rv which is not surprising considering what happened 2 weeks before the show: 

 

"SEOUL, April 9 (UPI) -- A group of North Korean teenagers were sentenced for dancing to

 South Korean pop music last month, Japanese media reported.

The Asahi Shimbun said Monday that six teenagers aged 16 and 17 in the North's Ryanggang Province stood public trial on March 22 for listening and dancing to roughly 50 K-Pop songs, before distributing them to others on a flash drive.

Four of them were found guilty of "anti-national" conspiracy and received a year of labor."

source

must have been frightening for rv to perform there

[Matthew]

OH and haters told me only red velvet wasn't aired, and because of "stage presence issue"

 

Seems like haters keep losing

 

I feel sorry for them

 

 

On another note, this is a disrespect for everyone who went there and put an effort performing under all of the conditions between the 2 countries tbh

[Kami]

All that mediaplay of RV performing in NK only to be disrespected and edited out. Joy did the right thing by not going.

[JiMiJu]

NK is shook.

[Augusto]

what an important and meaningful event  it will definitely change the history of NK & SK relationship and give to both nations a better undestanding of each other. _{World news channels already forgot about it, I guess?}

 

p.s. I like diplomacy anyway.

[silicon soul]

What's the point of holding the event if they're not gonna air it or make reference to the artists? Defeats the whole reason for the peace concert. What next, hype up the world cup but not allow fans in matches or televise anything?

[GirlBye]

what an important and meaningful event  it will definitely change the history of NK & SK relationship and give to both nations a better undestanding of each other. _{World news channels already forgot about it, I guess?}

 

p.s. I like diplomacy anyway.

no one expected nk and sk to suddenly have a better relationship with this concert...reading the interviews the performance group knew not to expect a good reaction

 

however, being able to take part in a performance in nk was meaningful for the artists even if the general population can't view it

 

and world news channels move at pretty rapid pace with all events lol why would they still report something that happened over 2 weeks ago

[WenSuelRene]

I can't help but be salty that RV had to endure all of that hate while doing their best, only for their performance to be cut out. It's sad for all of the artists who went over there to perform.

[Jawline]

"SEOUL, April 9 (UPI) -- A group of North Korean teenagers were sentenced for dancing to

 South Korean pop music last month, Japanese media reported.

The Asahi Shimbun said Monday that six teenagers aged 16 and 17 in the North's Ryanggang Province stood public trial on March 22 for listening and dancing to roughly 50 K-Pop songs, before distributing them to others on a flash drive.

Four of them were found guilty of "anti-national" conspiracy and received a year of labor."

Bruh if this is the bs going on in NK then RV shouldn't have gone in the first place.

[Mark Lee]

Pressed onces everywhere.

[A random user]

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[A random user]

what an important and meaningful event it will definitely change the history of NK & SK relationship and give to both nations a better undestanding of each other. _{World news channels already forgot about it, I guess?}

 

p.s. I like diplomacy anyway.

For some reason I already expected this outcome. I mean, let's face it, have any of these "cultural exchanges" took a vital role on diplomacy besides entertainment?

 

Anyway, it was fun while the hype lasted and probably will be just a fun anecdote for the participants to share on friends reunions.

[BlueGreen]

Goddess Lee Sun Hee approved for all Koreas.

 

Here she is casually looking like she is filling in for Joy as the 5th member of RV. 

 

[alexjordan:-)xo]

I can't help but be salty that RV had to endure all of that hate while doing their best, only for their performance to be cut out. It's sad for all of the artists who went over there to perform.

This.