Protesters in Seoul Burn Image of Kim Jong-un During North Koreans’ Visit
Local reporters have nicknamed her the "girl on a steed" after one of her most popular songs, "A Girl in the Saddle of a Steed." Reflecting the passions surrounding the two-day visit, South Korean activists used a blowtorch to burn a large photo of Kim Jong-un, North Korea’s leader,
and a North Korean flag as Ms. Hyon’s delegation was traveling Monday through the sprawling Seoul Station.
22, 2018
HONG KONG — A North Korean delegation wrapped up a rare visit to South Korea on Monday to plan cultural performances there during the Winter Olympics,
and was met with both enthusiastic crowds and angry protests as it checked out venues in Seoul.
On Monday, Ms. Hyon continued to draw sizable crowds of onlookers
and reporters fixated on her attire — particularly her black coat with fur neck wrap and black high heels — with news organizations providing live coverage of her visit.
South Korean leaders hope the North’s participation in the Olympics next month in Pyeongchang, along with the cultural events,
will pave the way for warmer ties between the two countries and ease tensions over the North’s nuclear program.
The two Koreas have agreed to march together in the opening ceremony of the Olympics
and to form a unified women’s ice hockey team, the first inter-Korean team ever fielded during Olympic competition.
The visiting delegation has drawn intense interest and ignited a media frenzy focusing on the North Korean singer Hyon Song-wol.
