South Korean musicians performed their final show in Pyongyang with North Korea's Samjiyon Orchestra in front of a packed house.
By the end of it,... there was barely a dry eye in the arena... as the artists came together to sing for peace and reunification.
Kim Mok-yeon reports.
It was two hours of peace and harmony.
Under the title "We are One", the 160 member art troupe began their joint concert with their North Korean counterparts at around 3:30 p.m., South Korea time.
Initially, the performance was set to begin an hour later, but was changed at the request of the South Korean side.
This time around, the concert was held at the 12,000-seat Ryugyong Jong Ju Yong( ) Gymnasium, which is eight times larger than the venue for the first performance, held on Sunday.
The venue is where South Korean artists last performed in 2005.
The group, the first South Korean troupe to perform in North Korea since then, consisted of nearly a dozen artists, including legendary singers Cho Yong-pil and Lee Sun-hee, K-pop stars Red Velvet, and Seo Hyun of Girls Generation.
Prior to the performance, a government official traveling with the troupe said the North Korean troupe shortened its performance time to give more stage time to the South Korean artists.
Unlike the first concert on Sunday where Seo Hyun emceed by herself, this time she was accompanied by a Choe Hyo-song , a reporter from the North's Korean Central TV.
The concert got into full swing when female singers from the two sides showcased a North Korean song entitled "Paektu and Halla are My Fatherland" under the accompaniment of the North's Samjiyon Orchestra.
The joint performance ended with a standing ovation after all the musicians sang two famous songs from each side,.. North Korea's "See You Again", and South Korea's "Our Wish is Reunification"
After the concert, the head of North Korea's Samjiyon Orchestra, Hyon Song-wol, said she was delighted.
"I'm glad because I think the concert went well. Both sides did well."
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, who attended the first concert on Sunday, did not show up this time.
Following the performance, the South Korean artists, together with Culture minister Do Jong-hwan attended a dinner hosted by Kim Yong-chol , Vice Chairman of the Central Committee of North Korea's Workers' Party.
"I want to express my extended gratitude to everyone who worked for the success of the joint concert, which contributed to improving relations and cooperation between the two Koreas."
The troupe, together with the taekwondo demonstration team returned back to the South on Wednesday morning, bringing the curtain down on their historic four-day stay in the North Korean capital.
Kim Mok-yeon, Arirang News.
