South Korean Newspaper: North Korean female singer appointed to high-ranking position

Hyon Song-wol, leader of North Korea's famous Moranbong band, is said to have been appointed to the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea, the Korea Times reported.

Ms. Hyon Song-wol (left). Photo: EPA

The Korea Times reported on October 11 that 38-year-old Hyon Song-wol, a famous singer and leader of North Korea's leading propaganda band Moranbong, has been promoted to a member of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea. In addition, she also holds the position of alternate member of the Politburo, the party's most powerful body.

According to the Korea Times, there have been previous cases of North Korea appointing artists to the Central Committee of the Party as standing or alternate members. But Ms. Hyon's appointment is a surprising move for observers because the singer was said to have been involved in a rumor of appearing in a sensitive video in 2013.

Ms. Hyon is believed to be the ex-girlfriend of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and is rumored to have had an unfriendly relationship with Mr. Kim Jong-un's wife, Ms. Ri Sol-ju.

However, the Korea Times quoted an intelligence source as saying: “We believe that the relationship between Ms. Hyon and Ms. Ri is quite good. The appointment of Hyon shows Kim's absolute trust in letting Ms. Hyon join his group of confidants.”

The source said that Kim Jong-un highly appreciated Ms. Hyon’s loyalty during a performance in Beijing, China in December 2015. At that time, her band was scheduled to perform for high-ranking Chinese officials to honor the Sino-North Korean relationship.

However, Hyon's band canceled their performance just hours before it was due to start after Chinese officials asked her to change the content of the performance. Hyon refused to change and asked permission to cancel the performance. A North Korean official accompanying the group was "shocked" by Hyon's decisive decision and tried to persuade her to continue.

“The show cannot be changed even a single dot because it has been approved by our leadership,” Hyon shared.

“That incident partly shows Ms. Hyon’s position in North Korea. It is understandable that Mr. Kim Jong-un promoted Ms. Hyon to the Central Committee of the Party, especially when we understand the importance of that incident,” said a South Korean intelligence source.

The Moranbong Band was founded in 2012 under the direction of Kim Jong-un. All the singers in the band were handpicked by him.

According to Dan Tri