Kim Jong Un Goes to K-Pop Concert

North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un clapped his hands and said he was "deeply moved" as he, along with his wife and hundreds of other citizens, watched a rare performance by South Korean pop stars visiting Pyongyang. The concert highlights the thawing ties between the rivals after years of friction over the North's nuclear program, the AP reports. During Sunday's performance at the packed 1,500-seat East Pyongyang Grand Theater, North Korean concertgoers—most of the men in dark suits but some women in colorful traditional "hanbok" dresses—waved their hands from their seats when the South Korean stars joined together to sing a popular Korean song, "Our wish is unification." After the two-hour performance ended, the North Koreans gave a thundering standing ovation.

The visiting South Korean delegation included some pop legends and the popular girl band Red Velvet. Kim made a surprise visit to the performance with his wife Ri Sol Ju, sister Kim Yo Jong, and other senior North Korean officials. Kim applauded during the event and shook hands with the South Korean performers. He also took a group photo with them after their performance, according to North Korea's state news agency and South Korean media pool reports from Pyongyang. This was the first time a North Korean leader had attended such a South Korean performance in the country. Kim "said that he was deeply moved to see our people sincerely acclaiming the performance, deepening the understanding of the popular art of the South side," the North's Korean Central News Agency said.

(More North Korea stories.)