North Korean Economy Watch

According to the Daily NK:

The Daily NK has obtained video footage of the manager of the cafeteria at Pyongyang Moran Exhibition Hall, playing guitar and singing. The song is a South Korean song, Maze of Love, which was popular during the late 1980s.

The video clip was taken by a Chinese tourist earlier this year.

Aside from its entertainment value, it shows how widespread South Korean songs are in North Korea. Indeed, according to a source from Pyongyang, popular South Korean songs are sung in many big restaurants in Pyongyang. However, in order to avoid trouble with unexpected inspections, they sing the songs with different lyrics. Naturally, they add contents of loyalty or love for Kim Jong Il.

The Chinese person who provided The Daily NK with the video footage explained, “When she sang about the General (Kim Jong Il), we took no notice because we know their system well. We applauded only her performance; playing guitar and singing.”

The following are the new, North Korea-themed lyrics to the song:

I went up Mt. Baekdu to see where the morning light comes from.
I noticed when I saw the sunrise, which opens the sky and the land.
Sunshine lightening my tiny heart!
Even at the end of the earth, eternally,
The shining features of our General, raising Mt. Baekdu!

I realized up here where love comes from.
I realized when I saw the magnificent sunrise, a rising fireball.
Sunshine lightening my frozen heart!
Even at the end of the earth, eternally,
The shining features of our General, raising Mt. Baekdu!
The power decorating my hope, my future!
Even at the end of the earth, eternally,
The shining features of our General, raising Mt. Baekdu!

Read the full story here:
K-Pop with a Kim Jong Il Spin
Daily NK
8/2/2010

This entry was posted on Monday, August 2nd, 2010 at 5:55 pm and is filed under Art, Music. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.