SEOUL, Jan. 23 (Korea Bizwire) – South Korea has suggested that a North Korean art troupe hold one of its two proposed performances on the eve of the Feb. 9-28 PyeongChang Winter Olympics or on opening day, a senior government official said Tuesday.
In a recent inter-Korean meeting, the North agreed to send a 140-member art troupe for performances in Seoul and Gangneung, a sub-host city of the games, 240 kilometers east of Seoul.
Hyon Song-wol, the leader of an all-female North Korean girl group, made a two-day visit to the South as the leader of an advance team inspecting venues for the planned performances before returning home Monday.
A government official said Seoul is awaiting the North’s reply to its suggestion that one of the two planned concerts take place in Gangneung on Feb. 8 or the next day.
“The North is said to want a Seoul performance two or three days after its concert in Gangneung,” the official said.
The North’s art troupe is likely to take the stage in Seoul before the Lunar New Year’s holiday that falls on Feb. 16, according to the official.
The official also quoted Hyon as expressing hope that the two Koreas could join hands in preparing for the performances.
The North originally informed the South on Friday that its advance team for the art troupe trip would come to the South the following day. But late Friday, it abruptly canceled its scheduled trip without any stated reason and postponed it to Sunday.
The government official said that the seven-member delegation led by Hyon did not comment on why the trip was postponed.
(Yonhap)
