Perhaps only Kim Jong Un’s girl band can unify Korea
WHAT has flopped in international diplomacy could probably be fixed by a North Korean girl band of mini-skirted ladies who often gyrate and writhe on TV shows. At least, in Pyongyang. Could an all- girl band from Pyongyang that performs pop classics, some Disney tunes, Frank Sinatra’s My Way, and Eye of the Tiger from Rocky break the ice between the two Koreas by performing in Pyeongchang?
Fans can already watch slackjawed hits such as My Country Is the Best and Let’s Study on YouTube. And songs like We Can’t Live Without His Care (you know who he is), Fluttering Red Flag (you know whose flag that is), and Victory (of course, you know whose victory that is) will probably have to be dropped in Pyeongchang and replaced with more acceptable Moranbong favourites such as Winnie the Pooh and the theme from Dallas.
If an Olympics performance does happen, then we can assume Kim Jong Un will be very happy. Moranbong is his creation and is intrinsically linked to his own individual cult of personality as supreme leader.
It is a cult that seeks to portray him as a demigod who can deliver nuclear weapons, talk tough to enemy nations looking to strangle the North, but who also understands youth. His artistic affinities are a quantum leap from his father’s taste for patriotic Korean-styled light opera that often sounded as if Andrew Lloyd Webber had joined the Korean Workers’ Party and vowed to defeat Yankee imperialism. This sound was embodied in the Unhasu Orchestra and the jauntily named Sea of Blood Opera Company. These are gone now (even though Kim’s wife, Ri Sol Ju, was a member of the former), replaced by Moranbong and not a lot else.
Moranbong first appeared in 2012 with Kim Jong Un attending their concerts, leading the standing ovations and the enthusiastic prolonged applause. Usually, with Kim Jong Il and Kim Il Sung, it was always the other way around. Youthful but patriotic, daring (with their short skirts and Disney tunes) but obviously pre- approved, they reminded many of the girl bands of a decade earlier in China. The Chinese were big fans of the popular 12 Girls Band, an all-female group using a mix of Western and traditional instruments, plenty of costume changes, performing Western covers mixed with light classical and garnished with some patriotism. There’s no doubt that Moranbong is a reaction to a growing awareness of South Korean fashion and music ( known as hallyu, or the “Korean wave” of cultural soft power emanating from Seoul) in the North, permeating censorship’s thick walls. Moranbong’s launch coincided with Psy’s international Gangnam Style success, and the band has also attempted a little “love the great leader” rapping.
These performances aren’t just for the elite either; the Moranbong members appear on television fairly regularly even if they often perform with massive back screens showing dramatic ballistic missile launches. According to regular visitors to Pyongyang, they are influencing hairstyles in Pyongyang and making high heels, cosmetics, and shorter skirts permissible.