Kpop - South Korea's tool for peace propaganda

Every year, South Korea holds a concert featuring many of the music industry's stars right near the border with North Korea.

About 25,000 people attended the performance at Nuri Peace Park, near the border between South Korea and North Korea on August 12. Photo: New York Times.

At Nuri Peace Park, provinceGyeonggi, South Korea, whereJust 5 kilometers from the demilitarized zone between the two Koreas, a large-scale music concert that attracts thousands of attendees is held every year. This music event that brings together many K-pop stars is considered an effective tool for South Korea to promote peace, the New York Times reported.

"We cannot afford to have another war. Do you agree with me?" local leader Jung Ki-youl told a crowd eagerly awaiting the opening performance on the evening of August 12.

"Let's say 'No' to missiles, 'No' to nuclear weapons and 'We want peace'. Who knows, on the other side, North Korea can hear us," he said.Jung encouraged. The audience below cheered enthusiastically.

However, their enthusiasm at that time was nothing compared to the excitement when Kpop stars likeGirls' Generation, BTOB, Cosmic Girls, Mamamoo andGFriend stepped onto the stage. The crowd screamed and sang along with their music idols at the top of their voices.

Nam Hyung-jin, a first-year Chinese language student, traveled more than 100 kilometers to attend the performance. Before arriving, the 18-year-old felt nervous because the event was held near the border with North Korea amidThe crisis on the Korean peninsula has reached a new level.

However, after screaming and dancing along with the 13 beautiful girls in the groupCosmic Girls has completely changed Nam's feelings. He hopes North Korea can hear the "melody of freedom" in this program.

"If I stand here,right near the border with North Korea,"And if enjoying Kpop is not freedom, then what is freedom?", Nam said.

A concert near the South Korea-North Korea border attracts thousands of people. Source: BBC.

This is the seventh time that the Gyeonggi Provincial Government has collaborated with national broadcaster MBC to hold a peace concert near the demilitarized zone between the two Koreas. Taking place on the occasion of National Day, this cultural event is sponsored by the Korean Ministry of Unification.

"Young Koreans seem uninterested in unification.two Koreas"Kim Nan-young, vice minister of culture at the Ministry of Unification, stressed that events like this will help change the thinking of young people.

The South Korean government’s efforts are clearly having an impact on teenagers like Kim Ha-min, 15, from the city of Incheon, just west of Seoul. The high school student has always had a vague and fearful impression of North Korea. But after a performance last Saturday night, when she saw the idol group BTOB sing for peace, she has changed her mind.

"The lyrics of the song made me realize that ordinary people in North Korea are just like us. And they are just a border away from us," Kim said, pointing north.

The Power of Culture

Kim Na-young, 14, said, "I hope North Koreans heard the songs and the message of peace in this program."". Image:New York Times.

Between performances, on a large electronic screen, the organizers played a video of K-pop stars imagining a day when the two Koreas would be reunited, when South Koreans would vacation in the North and young people from both sides could make friends and even date. However, most of the audience spent their breaks surfing Facebook, not paying attention to the propaganda messages.

"The government uses K-pop as bait to lure young people to this concert and instill in them the desire for unification of the two Koreas," said an audience member surnamed Yang.

"There is something wrong with using K-pop artists to manipulate people's concerns about unification,""It's not the entertainers' job and it's weird to put that burden on them," said Cho Eun-sol, 26, from the capital Seoul.

However, Ms. Cho's boyfriend, a software engineer, thought differently. According to Mr. HaBong-ahn, 27, served in the military and was stationed near the border with North Korea,Korean people should not forget thatAs long as the two Koreas remain divided, the threat of war hangs over their heads.

“That's why people should care and if K-pop artists can influence people then that's fine.”

The show ended with a chorus from all the artists. They sang about a happy future when the two Koreas reunite as one. On the big screen, the image of the Korean flag fluttering in the wind.

"Before coming here, I felt scared because it's so close to the North Korean border,""But now I feel happy. I understand that we can still enjoy life even though we are threatened by North Korea," Kim Na-young, 14, said after the performance.

"I hope the North Korean people have heard the songs and the message of peace.in this program".

According to VNE