Spring Is Coming

Spring Is Coming (Korean: 봄이 온다; RR: Bomi Onda; MR: Pomi Onta) was a concert that occurred in Pyongyang, North Korea, on April 1 and 3, 2018. It included numerous South Korean performers, and was described as an important event in the 2018 thaw in the North Korea–South Korea relations.

Background

The event has been described as the first South Korean musical performance in the North in "over a decade". The previous South Korean performance in the North took place in 2005, with a solo concert by Cho Yong-pil. The Spring Is Coming concert was described as a "reciprocal cultural visit" after North Korea sent performers to the South. In particular, North Korea's Samjiyon Orchestra gave several concerts coinciding with the 2018 Winter Olympics, including a concert in Seoul on February 11, attended by North Korean leader's sister and, at the time, Deputy Director of the Propaganda and Agitation Department Kim Yo-jong and South Korean President Moon Jae-in.

The concert

The Spring Is Coming concert took part over two days: April 1 (Sunday) and April 3 (Tuesday). The first day featured a 2 hour long concert at the East Pyongyang Grand Theatre which seats 1,500. Performers included at least 11 South Korean singers and vocalists, including Jung-In, Ali, Cho Yong-pil, Lee Sun-hee, Yoon Do-hyun, Baek Ji-young, Kang San-ae, Seohyun, pianist Kim Kwang-min, five-member rock band YB, as well as five-member K-pop girl band Red Velvet (though one of Red Velvet band members, Joy, did not attend due to scheduling conflicts). The second day featured a joint performance between South and North Korean musicians at the Ryugyong Chung Ju-yung Gymnasium (12,000 seats), with the North side represented by the Samjiyon Orchestra.