• North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said he was “deeply moved” after a performance by South Korean pop stars in Pyongyang on Sunday, according to the state-run KCNA news agency.
  • North and South Korea renewed relations for the first time in roughly two years in January and plan to hold a summit on April 27.
  • The K-Pop performance coincided with the renewal of military exercises by the U.S. and South Korea on the Korean Peninsula.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said he was “deeply moved” after a performance by South Korean pop stars in Pyongyang on Sunday, according to the state-run KCNA news agency.

“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 reportedly said.

The concert, which was dubbed “Spring Is Coming,” occurred as part of recent efforts by North and South Korea to rekindle diplomatic relations. The event included performances by the popular K-pop girl band Red Velvet and rock star Yoon Do-hyun. Kim was reportedly especially interested in seeing Red Velvet and highly pleased with the group’s performance.

Images released by North Korean media show Kim and his wife, Ri Sol Ju, smiling and clapping as they attended the concert.

In short, the North Korean leader seemed to enjoy the event a great deal.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and his wife Ri Sol Ju enjoyed a performance from South Korean K-pop singers in a concert under the title "Spring is Coming" at the East Pyongyang Grand Theatre in North Korea on April 1

Reuters

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and his wife Ri Sol Ju watch South Korean K-pop singers perform in North Korea

Reuters

The concert came not long after after Kim made a historic visit to Beijing and coincided with the renewal of military exercises by the U.S. and South Korea on the Korean Peninsula. The exercises, collectively known as Foal Eagle, will last roughly a month and involve over 11,500 U.S. troops and approximately 300,000 South Korean forces.

In the past, Pyongyang has decried such exercises and described them as rehearsals for an invasion. But North Korea agreed not to object to the exercises this year after a deal was made for Kim and Trump to meet.

Reuters/Kim Hong-Ji

In 2017, North Korea conducted a slew of missile tests as it pursued a nuclear weapon capable of reaching the mainland U.S. This greatly angered the international community and generated a war of words between Trump and Kim, who frequently traded insults and threats from across the globe. In early 2018, however, North and South Korea renewed dialogue for the first time in roughly two years. This ultimately led to the North’s participation in February’s Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea. The two Koreas are also set to hold a summit in late April. Meanwhile, the North has also agreed to refrain from further missile testing.

The Trump administration’s decision to agree to a meeting with the North Korean leader has been heavily scrutinized. Critics contend it grants too much legitimacy to the rogue state, but supporters of the president are hopeful it will lead to denuclearization and peace on the Korean Peninsula.