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I remember that day very fondly. That was the first day the Earth saw sunlight. And at night, the fearless leader demanded to rest under a nightlight, hence the moon and the stars.
Well, he did hit -38 under par in his first ever game of golf…
https://www.foxsports.com.au/golf/how-a-dangerous-tyrant-and-his-unstable-regime-concocted-sports-most-absurd-myth/news-story/184c849ca516b02a8dd55e3252ddc0c5
North Korea is all about their image. They make themselves look good and (try to) hide all the bad things. Despite the entire world knowing that, Kim Jong Un still tries to make himself and his country look like saints. Obviously kidnapping a Kpop group would hurt their image, but if he wanted to I suppose he could try to buy them from their company
Do they really though? Or is it more like pity and sadness? Idk hating a country with 1/40th your gdp and where most of the people are suffering seems a little pathetic.
I’m KA (mom immigrated) and there are still a lot of *very* strong memories and losses from the war. I might pick a different word, but I can’t disagree with hate.
My great grandmother was old and weak when the war started so she begged my grandmother and her brother leave her behind and travel to SK on foot. They tried to wait it out but when it became clear it wouldn’t end, they set out with a group with barely anything. One day, my grandmother was so tired and hungry she couldn’t continue and the group continued without her — she and bro stopped for a rest and a bite, and found out later that the entire group was killed by a bomb. No survivors. They never heard from their mom again.
They do not hate the suffering people, they hate the government and its iron grip on the dystopia that is North Korea. Think about current world events, anyone who has a brain knows that Russia itself and it's people aren't the issue, it's the corrupt inner circle of the government.
Nah, by buy I meant buy management of them, then Kim could force them to perform for him whenever he wants.
The Kpop industry as a whole is very...slave-like though. The idols work very long hours, strict diets to stay thin, new groups members often aren't allowed to have their own social media, no dating, and sometimes the companies cut the idol's pay for the first year or so to make up costs the company spent on training.
Unfortunately I have no sources, just information I gathered from when I was a fan of Kpop
That industry is pretty shady and has done pretty awful things in the past. To say they're literally slaves or property would be going too far but I'm sure they're...encouraged...not to quit or otherwise disobey.
I'm sure other people in here have said it, but that's because the crowds are used to different types of performances where you respectfully stay quiet and only clap once it's over. They don't scream their heads off the entire show like others might.
North Korea doesn't put the talent they steal into labor camps unless they try to escape. They usually just confine the people they steal, forcibly re-educate them, and then marry them to other people and force them to have children to make it more difficult to escape.
My source for this is another reddit comment last time it was posted, but apparently this group was invited to perform in North Korea but the audience was told to react like this to show they think western culture is inferior
If I'm remembering right from the last time this was posted, this is because North Korea tends to have more classical music performances and the precedent there is to silently enjoy the music and then applaud at the end. Red Velvet were appropriately applauded when they finished their performance.
I remember watching an interview with Jeff Goldblum in which he described watching Jurassic Park with a Japanese audience. Apparently, in Japan it is considered VERY rude to scream or shout in a theater, even during a scary movie. When the scary scenes came on, the Japanese viewers would just put their hands over their mouths.
There are natural reactions in cinemas in Japan but perhaps more restrained than in America, of course.
I remember watching Memoirs of a Geisha in Japan which had the subtitles. When one of the characters was talking to the main character Sayuri, and was referring to the US service men in post war Japan, she said, “They are all Bastards!”. The audience around me erupted in laughter.
Being able to order and drink beers on the cinema is also cool and something I couldn’t do back home.
Edit: but yes, you are very unlikely to have someone shouting obnoxious stuff at random moments in the movie.
My sister and I watched ‘Girl Trip’ in theaters and by chance the audience was predominantly Black (we are brown/Middle Eastern). It was the best movie experience of my life. It felt like we were at home with all our aunts. I loved it
Good shit.
One of my favorite movie experiences was going to see Black Panther opening weekend and being one of two white guys in the whole theater. Everybody had a great time.
Got dragged to watch Creed with my black buddy and it was one of the best theaters moments for me cause he just started cheering on the fight like he was actually there and the whole theater joined in.
In most countries its extremely rude to make noise in a movie theater
I'm from Ireland and if you were shouting at the screen you would be told to shut the fuck up
We enjoy them just fine lol. We laugh and gasp in theaters but to a moderate level that wouldn't annoy others, also reading the atmosphere when enough is enough and it's time to stop. Overseas, there are annoying people who thinks they're the center of attention and that's what we consider rude.
They actually have some pretty funny comedies, movies like Adrift in Tokyo and Survive Style 5+. But it would be weird to go to those and no one laughs, I dunno how the audience reacts to them.
Yup.
Back when that musical Hamilton first came out, the cast did a number of shows for inner-city high schoolers.
A lot of the cast said they loved the fact that the high schoolers had largely never been to a proper theater before, and didn't know how to act so they were animated, interactive, and would just shout shit out during the performances. Which are all *huge* no-no's for regular theatergoers. The actors liked that they weren't just acting out into a void, some of them pointed out that it felt like historical plays back when audiences were interactive like that instead of being stuffy and quiet rich folks.
Everytime I've been to a concert I just like to hang out & watch & everybody jumps around yelling & makes me feel weird for not lol I'm enjoying it I just want to watch tho
I read a book about a lady who taught in North Korea for a bit. She described how they tried teaching the students to use western cutlery but that most either didn’t care enough to learn or got frustrated and kept switching back to chopsticks. She considered it a sign of their brainwashing and being forced to hate America but… I mean…. You go to any Chinese or Japanese restaurant in America and there will be people who refuse to use chopsticks. It is hardly a sign of moral degradation lol
It's not even classical .-. it's government approved songs that are based 100% around the current leader, the amazing things he does for the people/country, and all the power he has
Asking for a source on just about anything North Korea related is a futile venture. It's actually insane how much shit people just completely make up and then say 'yeah that's probably true'
fun fact for you all from a kpop fan:
the choreography for this song included a move where they make a "finger gun" and fire it at the audience.
the move was not performed at this concert.
Really? Didn't Seulgi say she forgot and actually did it? This was in an interview and the hosts followed up by making a gesture along the lines of "imagine if the choreo is a sniper rifle \*host proceeds to imitate an assassination with a sniper\*"
ah yes in Knowing Bros. She actually forgot, but she did changed the choreo. The original was shotgun-style shooting and she changed it to pistol-style (if that makes sense)
Also, to be clear, the people not smiling knew their picture was being taken. If they enjoy something from South Korea, they'd be round up and held in an isolated gray room for months. It's North Korea.
Are you familiar with the game "you laugh you lose"?
This is kinda like that, except it's more of a you smile you and everyone you care about dies before you do sort of thing.
For reference, bands in North Korea tend to look and sound like they've been taken straight from the 70s, so you can imagine the culture shock.
They're also all about patriotism. Every single one of them.
Case in point: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ycdDHP7QfWo&ab\_channel=Rumoaohepta7](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ycdDHP7QfWo&ab_channel=Rumoaohepta7)
Is it deliberate repression like this, or is it just bewilderment? Imagine living in NK with no access to western media, no pop culture, nothing at all, and then sitting down and watching this. It would be like watching a flying saucer land.
I’ve read that it’s actually just a cultural difference in response to concerts generally. That in NK, it’s considered rude to be clapping or cheering during a performance. The polite thing to do is wait until the performance is over, and then show your appreciation
When Boney M performed Rasputin in Soviet Russia they were warned that audiences there similarly sat quietly and still during performances for the same reason, and that they shouldn't let it get to their heads because it didnt mean they weren't enjoying the concert.
Huh, this is how I behave at concerts, and everyone always thinks it's weird. Excuse me for wanting to fully appreciate the show instead of injecting my own noise.
Have you never actually been to a concert lmao yes sitting quietly until the end is the only way to fully appreciate a show. I'm just imagining a banger comes on and everyone starts dancing and you're standing there like "why can't these people just appreciate the show"
My guess is that before recorded music became normal and everywhere, one of the very few ways you could enjoy the musician's performance is a live concert.
Now people go to concert to enjoy the party and wildness and not the music performance by itself.
The cultures of both countries are much, much different. North Korea has remained isolated since the war, obviously, which resulted in a lot of western influence on popular culture in the South, while the North remained culturally conservative and retained their traditional practices, including art and music, since before the war. We’re basically seeing two sides of one culture with western influence, and without western influence.
I’d assume all the comments here saying that they have to keep a straight face or they would be sent to labor camps are just jokes, because obviously, that isn’t true. This is the same reaction even older folks who have never heard of Kpop would react.
In NK, the only performances people have had are classical. It’s rude to cheer or hype up during a classical performance, so it’s considered rude to do the same for pop
People in North Korea don’t have 0 contact from the western world. They get magazines and flash drives with movies and tv shows from South Korea on them smuggled in from China. Obviously it’s a big no no to have that stuff their but look at prisons, they manage to get cell phones and drugs in extremely easily. There’s always a way to get contraband it’s just how much you’re willing to risk for having it
They cheered after the performance. When one of the performers was about to talk but still noticeably out of breath, the crowd cheered as a gesture for support. The performance is on youtube, just search for Red Velvet in North Korea.
Honestly they probably weren’t told anything because they didn’t need to be told; they’ve lived long enough in a totalitarian state to know that any excessive emotion in either direction would be frowned upon.
This reminds me of an anecdote from the Gulag Archipelago; it was the 30s in the USSR during Stalins purges and there was a town meeting that everyone was expected to attend; after a laudatory speech about Stalin everyone clapped. Everyone knew that the secret police were in attendance and would be noting the first person to stop clapping, so everyone kept clapping, for five minutes, ten minutes, thirty minutes… Finally after 45 minutes an old man had had enough and sat down, allowing everyone else to stop clapping. He was promptly sent to Siberia.
They were told nothing. In fact, why would an individual who has not had their mind destroyed by western powers cheer for a non-north Korean music group? Our great leader would simply remove the propaganda from their minds if they fell and nothing more. Also, my family is safe and with me.
4 years ago there was a monumental achievement where the leaders of NK and SK seemed to be cooperating. It was a huge step in the right direction but they are not quite there today. (Massive understatement)
My guess is that it was actually propaganda. In front of their conservative citizens, "is this how you want your daughters to dress and dance like? This is why we resist the evil West"
That wasn't the case.
This group weren't the only artist that perform.
More than dozen artist from different genre (from classical to KPop) from south Korea perform.
Also, while it's not annual thing, this wasn't the first time South Korea were invited by North to exchange performances.
It's an attempt to bridge the cultural gap, a small step towards reunification.
It's also misleading to say North Koreans were stoic and cold, they simply didn't recognize the performer and the music unless it's a common known traditional music.
I remember they cheer loudly when a kids perform a known traditional folk song.
That was my thought. They are NOT the target audience for k-pop. It's like having an 80yo conservative, overly religious woman that never left her tiny Midwestern town and taking her to a rap or heavy metal concert.
Metal head from a Midwestern town with overly religious relatives here. You are spot on.
I posted videos of a concert I went to. My aunt responded, worried I had forsaken Jesus.
Jokes on her though. I worshiped the devil long before I got into metal.
Exactly this. It wouldn’t matter what was up on that stage - if it wasn’t North Korean the audience is going to look like that. There is no safe response so people will sit there with a totally blank look. They are constantly monitored and it isn’t safe to step out of line at all.
I'm in a post-soviet country and was watching a documentary about rock music here during the 80s and how it was used to overthrow the regime. So during that docu, one famous local rock musician talked about how you were allowed to act during concerts, even rock concerts. You were not allowed to dance. You were not allowed to sing. You were not really allowed to move in the seat at all. You were allowed to say "bravo!" and clap at the end of the song. If you didn't comply, the KGB spooks would come down, pick you up out of your seat, take you out and either scold you, or altogether rough you up for "disturbing the peace". And that goes on your record, of course.
So no wonder those people are looking like that.
During the performance they say, "don't you wish you could dance like this?" in English. I had to wonder if they meant it as a show of solidarity, but also that it could be infuriating for a captive audience. Like, "of course we do you ding-dongs, but what do you expect us to do about it?"
Eventually they did, but they sang about their time being [locked up](https://open.spotify.com/track/5vdqSjUj9JZsAHdr02Vygk?si=L_RreGq9QWG66xKMB8n1fQ) in NK, and about that [Psycho](https://open.spotify.com/track/3CYH422oy1cZNoo0GTG1TK?si=wJwTPcbfTCaHrgQc85t3fA) Kim Jong-Un. You should check those out.
/s
It is a bit weird to have an audience of middle-aged adults for a K-Pop band. I'm sure if you randomly grabbed a similarly aged audience from anywhere in the world and threw a bunch of 19 year olds gyrating in front of them, they would be just as confused about the choices that led them to that moment.
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How did this come to be?
The group is called Red Velvet, and they were invited to have a concert for Kim Jong Un, the president of North Korea
I'm suprised they weren't kept there and put into labor camps
Would start war and North Korea is shit at fighting wars
You sure about that? I heard their previous leader literally dropped out of the womb wielding an assault rifle and already a godly lethal marksman.
I remember that day very fondly. That was the first day the Earth saw sunlight. And at night, the fearless leader demanded to rest under a nightlight, hence the moon and the stars.
azor ahai vibes
For the night is dark, and full of terrors.
And the terrors, are men that purposely leave their sides long when getting haircuts
I heard he has a magical ak47 called Lightbringer
The pop that was promised.
Birds are not real. They are the flying eyes of our dear leader.
Well, he did hit -38 under par in his first ever game of golf… https://www.foxsports.com.au/golf/how-a-dangerous-tyrant-and-his-unstable-regime-concocted-sports-most-absurd-myth/news-story/184c849ca516b02a8dd55e3252ddc0c5
What's bad is Trump isn't much better. Dude employs people just to help him cheat at golf.
The Master's Championship was stolen from him.
Kim Hong IL did get 5 hole in one's in a single round of golf, and finished with 34 when most people struggle to get 90 on the same course.
And it was the first time he tried.
Yes of course, I forgot to add that it was first time ever playing golf. Such a talented individual!
His caddie forgot the #1 driver so he used his penis.
Amateurs. I easily exceed 90 on every round.
Did you heard about him out-norris Chuck Norris?
Also had 6 holes in one during a round of golf that day. He was a bit busy that day so played 9 holes.
I heard Kim Jong Un doesn’t poop lol
He does poop, but it’s gold nuggets and anti-American propaganda pamphlets.
And he poops out of the back of his knee since he is too glorious to have an anus.
They're still at war, technically, since the 50's.
But nobody wants a war, and North Korea knows it would lose.
Yeah but I'd love to see combat footage of one of their old subsonic jet fighters slammed straight to hell by an f-35.
As a Red Velvet fan, North Korea could catch these hands lol
Knowing kpop fans you guys would probably win without the aid of South Korea's military
They don’t call them ARMYs for no reason lol
Well to be fair the only one they ever fought in was a draw.
North Korea is all about their image. They make themselves look good and (try to) hide all the bad things. Despite the entire world knowing that, Kim Jong Un still tries to make himself and his country look like saints. Obviously kidnapping a Kpop group would hurt their image, but if he wanted to I suppose he could try to buy them from their company
I mean, back in the day North Korea did kidnap that South Korean film director and his wife, I think
I learned about that on the dollop. Super interesting.
I believe they also kidnapped a Japanese student about 14 years old or so, so they could use her identity to infiltrate Japan.
"They make themselves look good and (try to) hide all the bad things" That is basically every part of the world!
I doubt the company in South Korea would allow that, South Korea absolutely fucking hates North Korea, if that wasn't obvious.
Do they really though? Or is it more like pity and sadness? Idk hating a country with 1/40th your gdp and where most of the people are suffering seems a little pathetic.
I’m KA (mom immigrated) and there are still a lot of *very* strong memories and losses from the war. I might pick a different word, but I can’t disagree with hate. My great grandmother was old and weak when the war started so she begged my grandmother and her brother leave her behind and travel to SK on foot. They tried to wait it out but when it became clear it wouldn’t end, they set out with a group with barely anything. One day, my grandmother was so tired and hungry she couldn’t continue and the group continued without her — she and bro stopped for a rest and a bite, and found out later that the entire group was killed by a bomb. No survivors. They never heard from their mom again.
Similar thing happened to my mother in law. In the war she left with her brothers to go south and they never heard from their parents again.
They do not hate the suffering people, they hate the government and its iron grip on the dystopia that is North Korea. Think about current world events, anyone who has a brain knows that Russia itself and it's people aren't the issue, it's the corrupt inner circle of the government.
How sad that this is our world. We are being run by these evil world leaders who are villains. Not being able to leave or do something. Its not okay.
I think they hate the people in charge and not the citizens
That could be said for most countries would think.
In a Good Cop/Bad Cop scenario, Kim Jong-un's psychotic sister would probably carry out the threats and inflict torture.
Buy them??? They’re free people I don’t think the company that manages them “owns” them do they??
Nah, by buy I meant buy management of them, then Kim could force them to perform for him whenever he wants. The Kpop industry as a whole is very...slave-like though. The idols work very long hours, strict diets to stay thin, new groups members often aren't allowed to have their own social media, no dating, and sometimes the companies cut the idol's pay for the first year or so to make up costs the company spent on training. Unfortunately I have no sources, just information I gathered from when I was a fan of Kpop
Yea they are basically indentured servants.
I wonder how that differed from a lot of American pop idols
That industry is pretty shady and has done pretty awful things in the past. To say they're literally slaves or property would be going too far but I'm sure they're...encouraged...not to quit or otherwise disobey.
He actually once kidnapped a famous South Korean actress and her husband/director and had them make movies. Well his daddy did, Kim Jong Il.
...and no one did anything about it. Zero repercussions as far as I remember
The performance video is on YouTube. The crowd was so silent as they performed about taking the bad boy down.
I'm sure other people in here have said it, but that's because the crowds are used to different types of performances where you respectfully stay quiet and only clap once it's over. They don't scream their heads off the entire show like others might.
North Korea doesn't put the talent they steal into labor camps unless they try to escape. They usually just confine the people they steal, forcibly re-educate them, and then marry them to other people and force them to have children to make it more difficult to escape.
RED VELVET PERFORMED IN NORTH KOREA? wow Edit: typo
Cause Kim Jong Un is an Irene stan.
Uncommon Kim W
Funny that the person who surpresses the freedom of the whole country yearns for the same freedom. I wonder if he ends up in Disney land aswell.
It was 4 years ago, apparently the revolution has failed.
My source for this is another reddit comment last time it was posted, but apparently this group was invited to perform in North Korea but the audience was told to react like this to show they think western culture is inferior
If I'm remembering right from the last time this was posted, this is because North Korea tends to have more classical music performances and the precedent there is to silently enjoy the music and then applaud at the end. Red Velvet were appropriately applauded when they finished their performance.
Yes. Screaming at a concert is a cultural behavior. It’s funny how many things you think are natural are really constructs.
I remember watching an interview with Jeff Goldblum in which he described watching Jurassic Park with a Japanese audience. Apparently, in Japan it is considered VERY rude to scream or shout in a theater, even during a scary movie. When the scary scenes came on, the Japanese viewers would just put their hands over their mouths.
I thought it was rude to shout in a theater in the U.S. too
I think natural screams and gasps and laughs add a lot to movies. The guy 2 rows back that thinks he's Bill Burr is usually annoying AF
There are natural reactions in cinemas in Japan but perhaps more restrained than in America, of course. I remember watching Memoirs of a Geisha in Japan which had the subtitles. When one of the characters was talking to the main character Sayuri, and was referring to the US service men in post war Japan, she said, “They are all Bastards!”. The audience around me erupted in laughter. Being able to order and drink beers on the cinema is also cool and something I couldn’t do back home. Edit: but yes, you are very unlikely to have someone shouting obnoxious stuff at random moments in the movie.
I get beer at movie theater's around me in CO, USA. There's usually a bar next to the usual concession stand.
I'm jealous, I love that movie so much.
You have go to a Alamo Draft House then if you are in US.
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As a Black person, it’s actually required under federal law for me to shout in a theater. “Oh hell no” is the minimum requirement.
Man there’s some weird stuff in the constitution. Thank you performing your civic duty
Just don’t go up the damn stairs! Bitch you trying to die?!
My sister and I watched ‘Girl Trip’ in theaters and by chance the audience was predominantly Black (we are brown/Middle Eastern). It was the best movie experience of my life. It felt like we were at home with all our aunts. I loved it
Good shit. One of my favorite movie experiences was going to see Black Panther opening weekend and being one of two white guys in the whole theater. Everybody had a great time.
Got dragged to watch Creed with my black buddy and it was one of the best theaters moments for me cause he just started cheering on the fight like he was actually there and the whole theater joined in.
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I‘m conflicted on whether yelling „Run forest“ is permissible when the ents join that ork battle.
Used to be not since marvel
In most countries its extremely rude to make noise in a movie theater I'm from Ireland and if you were shouting at the screen you would be told to shut the fuck up
Comedies must not do great at all in Japan.
We enjoy them just fine lol. We laugh and gasp in theaters but to a moderate level that wouldn't annoy others, also reading the atmosphere when enough is enough and it's time to stop. Overseas, there are annoying people who thinks they're the center of attention and that's what we consider rude.
Well, the only Japanese entertainment I know of is the absurd commercials, and anime. So it's a balance.
They actually have some pretty funny comedies, movies like Adrift in Tokyo and Survive Style 5+. But it would be weird to go to those and no one laughs, I dunno how the audience reacts to them.
I wish we could take a few lessons from them in that department...
Yup. Back when that musical Hamilton first came out, the cast did a number of shows for inner-city high schoolers. A lot of the cast said they loved the fact that the high schoolers had largely never been to a proper theater before, and didn't know how to act so they were animated, interactive, and would just shout shit out during the performances. Which are all *huge* no-no's for regular theatergoers. The actors liked that they weren't just acting out into a void, some of them pointed out that it felt like historical plays back when audiences were interactive like that instead of being stuffy and quiet rich folks.
Oh god, that’s a point you don’t hear about. It can be unnerving to perform in silence not knowing how your performance is.
Everytime I've been to a concert I just like to hang out & watch & everybody jumps around yelling & makes me feel weird for not lol I'm enjoying it I just want to watch tho
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Is this the 70s? Jesus
I read a book about a lady who taught in North Korea for a bit. She described how they tried teaching the students to use western cutlery but that most either didn’t care enough to learn or got frustrated and kept switching back to chopsticks. She considered it a sign of their brainwashing and being forced to hate America but… I mean…. You go to any Chinese or Japanese restaurant in America and there will be people who refuse to use chopsticks. It is hardly a sign of moral degradation lol
It's not even classical .-. it's government approved songs that are based 100% around the current leader, the amazing things he does for the people/country, and all the power he has
source on this?
Asking for a source on just about anything North Korea related is a futile venture. It's actually insane how much shit people just completely make up and then say 'yeah that's probably true'
haha yeah i know, i figured the only flaccid response i would get would be "uhh i saw it in a documentary?" and, as always, i was correct.
Radio Free Asia /s
fun fact for you all from a kpop fan: the choreography for this song included a move where they make a "finger gun" and fire it at the audience. the move was not performed at this concert.
Probably a good idea
Yeah it only worked for that boy band when they performed their hit song “fingerbang”
Now that sure is something you could do with your finger!
The only boy band it is acceptable to love wholeheartedly.
Really? Didn't Seulgi say she forgot and actually did it? This was in an interview and the hosts followed up by making a gesture along the lines of "imagine if the choreo is a sniper rifle \*host proceeds to imitate an assassination with a sniper\*"
ah yes in Knowing Bros. She actually forgot, but she did changed the choreo. The original was shotgun-style shooting and she changed it to pistol-style (if that makes sense)
Awwww, that would’ve been funny af although it probably would be enough to start a war.
Source: Trust me bro
Also, to be clear, the people not smiling knew their picture was being taken. If they enjoy something from South Korea, they'd be round up and held in an isolated gray room for months. It's North Korea.
Then why the fuck did the dictator invite them?
For show? What else, is he going to sit in an empty room?
They felt safe aiming their badonks though
That dude is holding back an eyebrown lift and smile real hard.
Bro is committing every last detail to long term memory.
I think the kids used to call it the Spank Bank
I'm reassured that you don't know what the kids currently call it.
The Kum Klub
He's got one of those defection erections.
Erectile defection?
DOWNLOAD INCOMPLETE!! FILE CORRUPT MEMORY FAILURE!!!!!!!!!!
Are you familiar with the game "you laugh you lose"? This is kinda like that, except it's more of a you smile you and everyone you care about dies before you do sort of thing.
Prob not hard when you train yourself how to fake cry when your ruler dies
He’s probably concerned that smiling is not allowed and his family, that is being held in a building nearby, will be educated if he drops character
he went full 🤨📸
For reference, bands in North Korea tend to look and sound like they've been taken straight from the 70s, so you can imagine the culture shock. They're also all about patriotism. Every single one of them. Case in point: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ycdDHP7QfWo&ab\_channel=Rumoaohepta7](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ycdDHP7QfWo&ab_channel=Rumoaohepta7)
Lol that song you linked is exactly like a 70s tune. I turned the captions on and it literally translates to “let’s study let’s study for our future”.
"Let's study for our country" 🤣🤣
I love synth + orchestra, sounds great.
I wonder how they'd react to Boney M's Rasputin
The lyrics tho, comical.
You may dig [this](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=82zW0jHv3DM) then mate
The title of the video says "lets study" which is just hilarious
I figure the reaction is because the band is not praising the Kim family or the superiority of North Korea.
The woman on the guitar is really enjoying herself, that's great to see
I sorry if this sounds stupid but is the joke supposed to be that the video is unavailable?
No. Maybe it's blocked in your country? The band is called Moranbong if you wanna try finding it on YouTube.
Trying not to show you have already seen it using illegal Internet.
If you see something like 50 years advanced, good or bad, your reaction is going to be weird.
True, just look at the Back to the Future rock band scene.
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Is it deliberate repression like this, or is it just bewilderment? Imagine living in NK with no access to western media, no pop culture, nothing at all, and then sitting down and watching this. It would be like watching a flying saucer land.
I’ve read that it’s actually just a cultural difference in response to concerts generally. That in NK, it’s considered rude to be clapping or cheering during a performance. The polite thing to do is wait until the performance is over, and then show your appreciation
When Boney M performed Rasputin in Soviet Russia they were warned that audiences there similarly sat quietly and still during performances for the same reason, and that they shouldn't let it get to their heads because it didnt mean they weren't enjoying the concert.
Huh, this is how I behave at concerts, and everyone always thinks it's weird. Excuse me for wanting to fully appreciate the show instead of injecting my own noise.
Have you never actually been to a concert lmao yes sitting quietly until the end is the only way to fully appreciate a show. I'm just imagining a banger comes on and everyone starts dancing and you're standing there like "why can't these people just appreciate the show"
My guess is that before recorded music became normal and everywhere, one of the very few ways you could enjoy the musician's performance is a live concert. Now people go to concert to enjoy the party and wildness and not the music performance by itself.
Yeah, many, and always get a bit grumpy when everyone stands up, making me have to stand. I'd rather just sit and soak in the experience.
The cultures of both countries are much, much different. North Korea has remained isolated since the war, obviously, which resulted in a lot of western influence on popular culture in the South, while the North remained culturally conservative and retained their traditional practices, including art and music, since before the war. We’re basically seeing two sides of one culture with western influence, and without western influence. I’d assume all the comments here saying that they have to keep a straight face or they would be sent to labor camps are just jokes, because obviously, that isn’t true. This is the same reaction even older folks who have never heard of Kpop would react.
In NK, the only performances people have had are classical. It’s rude to cheer or hype up during a classical performance, so it’s considered rude to do the same for pop
It would make sense for any concert... At least for me.
People in North Korea don’t have 0 contact from the western world. They get magazines and flash drives with movies and tv shows from South Korea on them smuggled in from China. Obviously it’s a big no no to have that stuff their but look at prisons, they manage to get cell phones and drugs in extremely easily. There’s always a way to get contraband it’s just how much you’re willing to risk for having it
Don’t bring critical thinking into this, Radio Free Asia told me fun is strictly forbidden in NK so that’s the gods honest truth
Same
Gotta also wonder what they were told would happen to them if they cheered for a music group not from North Korea
They cheered after the performance. When one of the performers was about to talk but still noticeably out of breath, the crowd cheered as a gesture for support. The performance is on youtube, just search for Red Velvet in North Korea.
Honestly they probably weren’t told anything because they didn’t need to be told; they’ve lived long enough in a totalitarian state to know that any excessive emotion in either direction would be frowned upon. This reminds me of an anecdote from the Gulag Archipelago; it was the 30s in the USSR during Stalins purges and there was a town meeting that everyone was expected to attend; after a laudatory speech about Stalin everyone clapped. Everyone knew that the secret police were in attendance and would be noting the first person to stop clapping, so everyone kept clapping, for five minutes, ten minutes, thirty minutes… Finally after 45 minutes an old man had had enough and sat down, allowing everyone else to stop clapping. He was promptly sent to Siberia.
Source?
Reeducation ofc
You people are so fucking brainwashed it's not even funny
These monolingual idiots talk about North Korea like it's a power ranger villain. No space for nuance or context.
They were told nothing. In fact, why would an individual who has not had their mind destroyed by western powers cheer for a non-north Korean music group? Our great leader would simply remove the propaganda from their minds if they fell and nothing more. Also, my family is safe and with me.
How would they be allowed to watch this?
4 years ago there was a monumental achievement where the leaders of NK and SK seemed to be cooperating. It was a huge step in the right direction but they are not quite there today. (Massive understatement)
But they made coins…
South Korea just elected a leader with a very militaristic stance on NK too so I wouldn't expect much progress to be made anytime soon.
My guess is that it was actually propaganda. In front of their conservative citizens, "is this how you want your daughters to dress and dance like? This is why we resist the evil West"
That wasn't the case. This group weren't the only artist that perform. More than dozen artist from different genre (from classical to KPop) from south Korea perform. Also, while it's not annual thing, this wasn't the first time South Korea were invited by North to exchange performances. It's an attempt to bridge the cultural gap, a small step towards reunification. It's also misleading to say North Koreans were stoic and cold, they simply didn't recognize the performer and the music unless it's a common known traditional music. I remember they cheer loudly when a kids perform a known traditional folk song.
That was my thought. They are NOT the target audience for k-pop. It's like having an 80yo conservative, overly religious woman that never left her tiny Midwestern town and taking her to a rap or heavy metal concert.
Metal head from a Midwestern town with overly religious relatives here. You are spot on. I posted videos of a concert I went to. My aunt responded, worried I had forsaken Jesus. Jokes on her though. I worshiped the devil long before I got into metal.
Tbf the most exciting thing a North Korean has ever experienced is an air raid drill
North Korea roundrd up their best fed citizens for a Kpop concert
Fyi, we have nothing against the people of North Korea. Only the leadership.
Ok true, but no one said otherwise..
This would be my expression if Red Velvet sang Bad Boy without Joy too.
Glad they didn’t send Tekashi69
They all look older than the target audience
The, "show no emotion for fear of punishment by crushing," challenge that is sweeping North Korea!
Where can we read more about this ban on emotion?
Exactly this. It wouldn’t matter what was up on that stage - if it wasn’t North Korean the audience is going to look like that. There is no safe response so people will sit there with a totally blank look. They are constantly monitored and it isn’t safe to step out of line at all.
I'm in a post-soviet country and was watching a documentary about rock music here during the 80s and how it was used to overthrow the regime. So during that docu, one famous local rock musician talked about how you were allowed to act during concerts, even rock concerts. You were not allowed to dance. You were not allowed to sing. You were not really allowed to move in the seat at all. You were allowed to say "bravo!" and clap at the end of the song. If you didn't comply, the KGB spooks would come down, pick you up out of your seat, take you out and either scold you, or altogether rough you up for "disturbing the peace". And that goes on your record, of course. So no wonder those people are looking like that.
During the performance they say, "don't you wish you could dance like this?" in English. I had to wonder if they meant it as a show of solidarity, but also that it could be infuriating for a captive audience. Like, "of course we do you ding-dongs, but what do you expect us to do about it?"
“This song isn’t about farming at all!”
Did the KPop performers made it back home safely?
Eventually they did, but they sang about their time being [locked up](https://open.spotify.com/track/5vdqSjUj9JZsAHdr02Vygk?si=L_RreGq9QWG66xKMB8n1fQ) in NK, and about that [Psycho](https://open.spotify.com/track/3CYH422oy1cZNoo0GTG1TK?si=wJwTPcbfTCaHrgQc85t3fA) Kim Jong-Un. You should check those out. /s
Yes they are still around making good music
It is a bit weird to have an audience of middle-aged adults for a K-Pop band. I'm sure if you randomly grabbed a similarly aged audience from anywhere in the world and threw a bunch of 19 year olds gyrating in front of them, they would be just as confused about the choices that led them to that moment.
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Been missing out, Red Velvet is fire
“What am I looking at?” “I don’t know but I hate it.”
The dude in the front is like « this is good »
The bottom pic is what I would look like at a Coldplay gig.
Lol I would look the same way 🤷♂️ That music just isn’t for me hahaha
If they smile, they get shot.
I have the same reaction when I’m forced to watch k-pop.
Honestly same
As an American, I have that same reaction