Top DPRK leader enjoys performance of South Korean art troupe amid improvement of ties

The top leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) Kim Jong Un and his wife Ri Sol Ju enjoyed a performance given by a visiting South Korean art troupe in Pyongyang on Sunday, amid continued improvement of inter-Korean relations.

In this Sunday, April 1, 2018, image from video, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, left, waves as South Korean Culture, Sports and Tourism Minister Do Jong-whan claps during a performance by a South Korean art troupe in Pyongyang, North Korea. Kim clapped his hands as he, along with his wife and hundreds of other citizens, watched a rare performance by South Korean pop stars visiting Pyongyang, highlighting the thawing ties between the rivals after years of heightened tensions over the North's nuclear program. [Photo: AP]

The Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said Kim was greeted by the leading members of the art troupe, including Do Jong-hwan, South Korean minister of culture, sports and tourism, and Yun Sang, music supervisor of the performance team, at the East Pyongyang Grand Theater.

Kim said the Pyongyang performance by the art troupe "has brought spring of peace to the entire nation in the north and the south along with the performance" titled "Spring Comes," the KCNA reported.

"When such good atmosphere is preserved carefully and continuously, only the beautiful spring when new buds sprout and flowers blossom and the rich autumn when the crops are abundant will always be in the way of our fellow countrymen," Kim was quoted as saying.

Kim also said that "he was deeply moved to see our people sincerely acclaiming the performance, deepening the understanding of the popular art of the south side."

South Korea's art troupe, scheduled to hold two concerts in Pyongyang, arrived here on March 31 and will stay through April 3.

The artists dispatch was agreed upon when special envoys for South Korean President Moon Jae-in met Kim in Pyongyang last month.