The Korea Times
amn_close.png
amn_bl.png
National
  • Politics
  • Foreign Affairs
  • Multicultural Community
  • Defense
  • Environment & Animals
  • Law & Crime
  • Society
  • Health & Science
amn_bl.png
Business
  • Tech
  • Bio
  • Companies
  • World Expo 2030
amn_bl.png
Finance
  • Companies
  • Economy
  • Markets
  • Cryptocurrency
amn_bl.png
Opinion
  • Editorial
  • Columns
  • Thoughts of the Times
  • Cartoon
  • Today in History
  • Blogs
  • Tribune Service
  • Blondie & Garfield
  • Letter to the Editor
amn_bl.png
Lifestyle
  • Travel & Food
  • Trends
  • People & Events
  • Books
  • Around Town
  • Fortune Telling
amn_bl.png
Entertainment & Arts
  • K-pop
  • Films
  • Shows & Dramas
  • Music
  • Theater & Others
amn_bl.png
Sports
  • Hangzhou Asian Games
amn_bl.png
World
  • SCMP
  • Asia
amn_bl.png
Video
  • Korean Storytellers
  • POPKORN
  • Culture
  • People
  • News
amn_bl.png
Photos
  • Photo News
  • Darkroom
amn_NK.png amn_DR.png amn_LK.png amn_LE.png
  • bt_fb_on_2022.svgbt_fb_over_2022.svg
  • bt_X_on_2023.svgbt_X_over_2023.svg
  • bt_youtube_on_2022.svgbt_youtube_over_2022.svg
  • bt_instagram_on_2022.svgbt_instagram_over_2022.svg
The Korea Times
amn_close.png
amn_bl.png
National
  • Politics
  • Foreign Affairs
  • Multicultural Community
  • Defense
  • Environment & Animals
  • Law & Crime
  • Society
  • Health & Science
amn_bl.png
Business
  • Tech
  • Bio
  • Companies
  • World Expo 2030
amn_bl.png
Finance
  • Companies
  • Economy
  • Markets
  • Cryptocurrency
amn_bl.png
Opinion
  • Editorial
  • Columns
  • Thoughts of the Times
  • Cartoon
  • Today in History
  • Blogs
  • Tribune Service
  • Blondie & Garfield
  • Letter to the Editor
amn_bl.png
Lifestyle
  • Travel & Food
  • Trends
  • People & Events
  • Books
  • Around Town
  • Fortune Telling
amn_bl.png
Entertainment & Arts
  • K-pop
  • Films
  • Shows & Dramas
  • Music
  • Theater & Others
amn_bl.png
Sports
  • Hangzhou Asian Games
amn_bl.png
World
  • SCMP
  • Asia
amn_bl.png
Video
  • Korean Storytellers
  • POPKORN
  • Culture
  • People
  • News
amn_bl.png
Photos
  • Photo News
  • Darkroom
amn_NK.png amn_DR.png amn_LK.png amn_LE.png
  • bt_fb_on_2022.svgbt_fb_over_2022.svg
  • bt_X_on_2023.svgbt_X_over_2023.svg
  • bt_youtube_on_2022.svgbt_youtube_over_2022.svg
  • bt_instagram_on_2022.svgbt_instagram_over_2022.svg
  • Login
  • Register
  • Login
  • Register
  • The Korea Times
  • search
  • all menu
  • Login
  • Subscribe
  • Photos
  • Video
  • World
  • Sports
  • Opinion
  • Entertainment & Art
  • Lifestyle
  • Finance
  • Business
  • National
  • North Korea
  • 1

    INTERVIEWINFINITE's Nam Woo-hyun returns after battling with rare cancer

  • 3

    Busan eyes Expo 2035 after losing to Riyadh

  • 5

    December brings mix of action, thriller, romance to small screen

  • 7

    US, S. Korea cast doubt over NK's satellite photos

  • 9

    How can Korea become more migrant-friendly?

  • 11

    Seoul to introduce 'English tutor robots' for young students

  • 13

    Hyundai Motor unveils universal wheel drive system

  • 15

    SPECIAL REPORTKorea should embrace cultural diversity in integrating immigrants

  • 17

    Saudi Expo win puts Korean firms in line for contracts

  • 19

    Airline operating guideline to include mandatory passenger warning against opening plane door

  • 2

    2023 MAMA Awards hits Tokyo Dome with stellar lineup

  • 4

    It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas

  • 6

    Cargo ship submerged off Korea's southwestern coast; no crewmen found

  • 8

    BTS wins 2023 MAMA Award for Worldwide Icon of the Year

  • 10

    As Christmas nears, people feel growing income disparity

  • 12

    Why are major South Korean stocks persistently undervalued?

  • 14

    Jefferies to open Seoul office in January

  • 16

    N. Korea says spy satellite took photos of White House, Pentagon, key US naval base

  • 18

    Economist challenges Yoon's immigration policies

  • 20

    Birthrate might fall below 0.7 in Q4

Close scrollclosebutton

Close for 24 hours

Open
  • The Korea Times
  • search
  • all menu
  • Login
  • Subscribe
  • Photos
  • Video
  • World
  • Sports
  • Opinion
  • Entertainment & Art
  • Lifestyle
  • Finance
  • Business
  • National
  • North Korea
Entertainment & Arts
  • K-pop
  • Films
  • Shows & Dramas
  • Music
  • Theater & Others
Thu, November 30, 2023 | 13:38
Red Velvet's Pyongyang gig smuggled to North on USB
Posted : 2018-04-10 17:31
Updated : 2018-04-10 18:27
Ko Dong-hwan
Print PreviewPrint Preview
Font Size UpFont Size Up
Font Size DownFont Size Down
  • facebook
  • twitter
  • kakaolink
  • whatsapp
  • reddit
  • mailto
  • link
(From left) Joy, Yeri, Irene, Seulgi and Wendy from Red Velvet / From Red Velvet's mini-album 'The Red Summer'
(From left) Joy, Yeri, Irene, Seulgi and Wendy from Red Velvet / From Red Velvet's mini-album "The Red Summer"

By Ko Dong-hwan

(From left) Joy, Yeri, Irene, Seulgi and Wendy from Red Velvet / From Red Velvet's mini-album 'The Red Summer'
A Donga University professor shows Notetel, which plays videos from USBs as well as CD and DVD. / Yonhap
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.

Will inter-Korean summit pave way for K-pop landing in North Korea?
Will inter-Korean summit pave way for K-pop landing in North Korea?
2018-04-25 16:38

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."

(From left) Joy, Yeri, Irene, Seulgi and Wendy from Red Velvet / From Red Velvet's mini-album 'The Red Summer'
Baek Ji-young sings during a rehearsal at East Pyongyang Grand Theater on April 1. / Korea Times file

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.



Emailaoshima11@ktimes.com Article ListMore articles by this reporter
 
wooribank
LG group
Top 10 Stories
1Busan eyes Expo 2035 after losing to Riyadh Busan eyes Expo 2035 after losing to Riyadh
2US, S. Korea cast doubt over NK's satellite photos US, S. Korea cast doubt over NK's satellite photos
3[SPECIAL REPORT] Korea should embrace cultural diversity in integrating immigrants SPECIAL REPORTKorea should embrace cultural diversity in integrating immigrants
4Saudi Expo win puts Korean firms in line for contracts Saudi Expo win puts Korean firms in line for contracts
5Birthrate might fall below 0.7 in Q4 Birthrate might fall below 0.7 in Q4
6Busan citizens disappointed but ready for World Expo 2035 bid Busan citizens disappointed but ready for World Expo 2035 bid
7Chanel, Hermes, Nike rectify customer policies after FTC warning Chanel, Hermes, Nike rectify customer policies after FTC warning
8Samsung Electronics appoints younger figures in personnel reshuffle Samsung Electronics appoints younger figures in personnel reshuffle
9Journey into Tomorrow: Commemorating 140 years of Korean-German diplomatic relations Journey into Tomorrow: Commemorating 140 years of Korean-German diplomatic relations
10Over 1,000 accountants enter market every year; does Korea need more? Over 1,000 accountants enter market every year; does Korea need more?
Top 5 Entertainment News
1December brings mix of action, thriller, romance to small screen December brings mix of action, thriller, romance to small screen
2[INTERVIEW] ASTRO members aim to shine in musical theater INTERVIEWASTRO members aim to shine in musical theater
3[INTERVIEW] INFINITE's Nam Woo-hyun returns after battling with rare cancer INTERVIEWINFINITE's Nam Woo-hyun returns after battling with rare cancer
42023 MAMA Awards hits Tokyo Dome with stellar lineup2023 MAMA Awards hits Tokyo Dome with stellar lineup
5NMIXX to showcase unique allure with 'Fe3O4: BREAK' album next year NMIXX to showcase unique allure with 'Fe3O4: BREAK' album next year
DARKROOM
  • It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas

    It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas

  • 2023 Thanksgiving parade in NYC

    2023 Thanksgiving parade in NYC

  • Appreciation of autumn colors

    Appreciation of autumn colors

  • Our children deserve better

    Our children deserve better

  • Israel-Gaza conflict erupts into war

    Israel-Gaza conflict erupts into war

  • Turkey-Syria earthquake

    Turkey-Syria earthquake

  • Nepal plane crash

    Nepal plane crash

  • Brazil capital uprising

    Brazil capital uprising

  • Happy New Year 2023

    Happy New Year 2023

  • World Cup 2022 Final - Argentina vs France

    World Cup 2022 Final - Argentina vs France

CEO & Publisher: Oh Young-jin
Digital News Email: webmaster@koreatimes.co.kr
Tel: 02-724-2114
Online newspaper registration No: 서울,아52844
Date of registration: 2020.02.05
Masthead: The Korea Times
Copyright © koreatimes.co.kr. All rights reserved.
  • About Us
  • Introduction
  • History
  • Contact Us
  • Products & Services
  • Subscribe
  • E-paper
  • RSS Service
  • Content Sales
  • Site Map
  • Policy
  • Code of Ethics
  • Ombudsman
  • Privacy Statement
  • Terms of Service
  • Copyright Policy
  • Family Site
  • Hankook Ilbo
  • Dongwha Group