Cho Yong-pil, Lee Sun-hee likely to perform in Pyongyang

By Kwon Mee-yoo

Veteran singers Cho Yong-pil and Lee Sun-hee may perform in North Korea in a concert in early April, ahead of the South-North Korea summit.

Singer-songwriter, composer and music producer Yoon Sang, also known as Lee Yoon-sang, is tapped to lead the South Korean artistic troupe for the Pyongyang concert. This would be the first South Korean troupe to perform a major official concert in the North in 16 years, since the KBS Symphony Orchestra performed in September 2002.

Hwang Seong-woon, spokesperson for the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, said Yoon was chosen for the post because the concert will mainly feature pop music.

"None of the cast is confirmed yet and the date, venue and other details will be released after Tuesday's meeting," Hwang said.

Yoon has a wide musical spectrum, working in the industry for over three decades. He debuted in 1987 as a composer and wrote many popular ballads in the 1990s. Yoon introduced electronic music to Korea and continued to collaborate with a variety of musicians including BoA, TVXQ and Lovelyz more recently.

The history of South Korean performances in the North dates back to 1985 and the repertoire is inclined toward popular rather than classical music.

Both Cho and Lee have performed in the North -- Cho held a solo concert in 2005 at the Ryugyong Chung Ju-yung Gymnasium in Pyongyang and met the North's ceremonial head of state Kim Yong-nam during his visit. Lee took part in a joint concert in 2003, commemorating the opening of the Ryugyong Chung Ju-yung Gymnasium.

Since their music styles appeal to North Koreans, Cho and Lee were on the top of the cast list. Lee's hit song "Dear J" was performed by North Korean musicians during their South Korean concert in February.

Other popular musicians expected to join the concert are rocker Yoon Do-hyun and ballad singer Baek Ji-young. Yoon visited the North in 2002 for a concert and it would be the first time for Baek.

More contemporary K-pop idols might join the South Korean performance troupe, depending on the North's decision. A few talent agencies representing popular idol groups said the government checked schedules whether they can take part in the Pyongyang concert.

In the past, several K-pop groups such as Sechskies, FIN.K.L, Shinhwa and Baby VOX have performed in North Korea.

For the classical music part, maestro Chung Myung-whun said the government approached him to perform in April in North Korea. Chung has shown interest in promoting peace between North and South Korea through musical exchanges and has mentioned for a long time his dream is to perform with North Korean musicians.

Details of the concert will be decided in the South-North working-level talks at Tongilgak, a North Korean building at the Panmunjom truce village on the border, Tuesday.

Other than art director Yoon, an official from the Ministry of Unification and another from Cheong Wa Dae will attend the talks as representatives of the South Korean delegation. It is the first time for a musician to represent the South Korean delegation in inter-Korean talks.

Hyon Song-wol, head of the Samjiyon Orchestra who visited South Korea with the North Korean artistic troupe to celebrate the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Games in February, will be Yoon's North Korean counterpart.