Soprano Jo Sumi to perform in Pyongyang

Posted on : 2011-11-21 10:59 KST Modified on : 2019-10-19 20:29 KST
The concert to highlight inter-Korean reconciliation is being organized by an organization of Korean-American doctors

By Kwon Tae-ho, Washington Correspondent 

 

World-renowned soprano Jo Sumi has reportedly reached an agreement with North Korean authorities to hold a performance in Pyongyang for the purpose of inter-Korean reconciliation in late April or early May of next year.

The U.S.-DPRK Medical Science Exchange Committee (UDMEDEX) said Saturday (local time) that both Jo and North Korean authorities have made a verbal pledge to this invitational Pyongyang performance to be held next year.

The association, headed by Chairman Pak Moon-jae, is an organization of Korean-American doctors that has undertaken visits to North Korea every year sine 1999 to attend medical conferences and provide medical aid.

The performance is officially being jointly arranged by North Korean authorities and the Korean American National Coordinating Council, the organization to which UDMEDEX belongs, through the offices of Pak, a personal acquaintance of Jo’s.

Pak said that Jo “readily agreed last month to the goals of the North Korean performance, and North Korea also expressed welcome for Ms. Jo’s performance.”

“Jo Sumi is well-known among the North Korean public as a world-renowned South Korean singer,” Pak added.

The details of the performance remain to be filled in, but three possibilities are being mentioned for the format: a solo performance by Jo, a joint performance with the Pyongyang Symphony, and a performance with North Korean operatic vocalists participating.

Observers also said the music would likely be selected to avoid political controversy and promote the goal of inter-Korean reconciliation, with some possibilities including traditional Korean folk songs and vocal music or classic music selections.

North Korea has made unofficial overtures to Jo in the past to give a performance in the country.

But an actual North Korean performance by Jo will require both an official invitation from Pyongyang and permission from Seoul for Jo, a South Korean citizen.

Park said the current plan is to request permission for Jo’s visit from the South Korean government after establishing the specifics of the performance by January 2012.

  

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