K-Pop Stars Red Velvet Set To Perform In Pyongyang This Weekend

When it comes to inter-Korean relations, pop music — and politics — work in concert. North Korea sent a musical delegation to South Korea for the Winter Olympics last month.

Now — it's the other side's turn. Solo singers and group acts will head north this weekend for "It is important in that [cultural exchange] is an achievement that is moving forward when everything else is stuck, when other exchanges need to get moving forward," Adam Cathcart — an East Asia researcher at the University of Leeds. In this case, other exchanges set to happen. The leaders of the rival Koreas have scheduled their first face-to-face summit for April 27th. But before that, there will be music. "Music is particularly useful because it doesn't require a lot of talking," Cathcart says. "And the performance looks great but it doesn't require a long discussion about the ideas behind it or anything else." Singer Cho Yong Pil will also be part of the 160-member cultural delegation. Cho was the last South Korean singer to perform in Pyongyang, in 2005. But the biggest names are the K-pop idols Red Velvet. Created by the industry giant SM Entertainment, the members have been it girls in the pop industry here.