North Korea bans song widely regarded as symbol of inter-Korean reconciliation

North Korea seems to be distancing itself from South Korea further as it erases a cultural link between the two countries.

North Korea has banned performances of the song “Glad to Meet You,” titled “Bangapseumnida” in Korean — widely recognized as a symbol of inter-Korean reconciliation, according to Japan’s Kyodo News on Tuesday.

The report said that “North Korean leader Kim Jong-un removed the song from performance stages after defining South Korea as its principal enemy,” adding that “North Korean restaurants in China, where North Korean women work, have also stopped performing the song.”

“Bangapseumnida” was originally performed by North Korean singer Ri Kyong-suk and first unveiled during a 1991 concert tour in Japan by the Pochonbo Electronic Ensemble. The song gained popularity after being frequently designated as an official selection during inter-Korean exchange events.

Its upbeat rhythm and easy-to-sing lyrics contributed to its widespread appeal. Importantly, the song was relatively free of overt North Korean political ideology, making it more palatable for a diverse audience.

Kyodo News noted that the ban reflects how Pyongyang’s hostile stance toward Seoul is now extending not only to the military and diplomatic spheres but also to cultural domains.

North Korea formally designated South Korea a “thoroughly hostile state” in its constitution last October. Kim first introduced the concept of “two warring hostile states” at a Workers’ Party plenary session in December 2023.

Since then, efforts to erase the imagery of the Korean Peninsula have accelerated across various sectors in North Korea.

In January last year, the state-run Korean Central Television aired a documentary on Kim’s activities in 2023 that showed a map of the Korean Peninsula highlighting only the northern region in red. In weather forecasts, the broadcaster altered graphics to display only the North in bright green.

The image of the Korean Peninsula that once appeared on the online homepage for Pyongyang’s Foreign Languages Publishing House, “Publications of Korea,” was removed in February last year.

In addition, the lyrics of the North Korean national anthem published on the website of the North’s Foreign Ministry were modified, replacing the line “My beautiful homeland of 3,000 ri” with “My beautiful homeland in this world,” eliminating the measurement equivalent to the span of the entire peninsula.

BY CHO MUN-GYU  [yoon.soyeon@joongang.co.kr]