North Korean defectors share K-pop songs most popular there

South Korean pop stars performed in the North over the weekend.

April 3, 2018, 12:35 PM

SEOUL, South Korea -- Pop stars from South Korea traveled to the North Korean capital, Pyongyang, over the weekend for a “cultural exchange” between the two nations.

The group of artists included several famous South Korean pop, or K-pop, artists, and they performed before an audience that included North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and his wife.

PHOTO: Ahn Jae-Wook poses for photographs before the wedding at Banyan Tree Club & Spa Seoul, June 1, 2015, in Seoul, South Korea.
Ahn Jae-Wook poses for photographs before the wedding at Banyan Tree Club & Spa Seoul, June 1, 2015, in Seoul, South Korea.

A South Korean lawmaker recently surveyed 51 North Korean defectors living in the South about which K-pop songs were popular in Pyongyang.

The most popular song, the survey found, was Ahn Jae-wook’s “Friend.” “The Maze of Love,” by Choi Jin-hee, ranked No. 2.

PHOTO: South Korean singer Choi Jin-Hee performs on stage during a concert, April 3, 2018, in Pyongyang, North Korea. South Korean musicians, 160 members in total performed in Pyongyang ahead of the historic inter-Korean summit scheduled for late April.
South Korean singer Choi Jin-Hee performs on stage during a concert, April 3, 2018, in Pyongyang, North Korea. South Korean musicians, 160 members in total performed in Pyongyang ahead of the historic inter-Korean summit scheduled for late April.

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