April 19, 2024
Opinion

Rock band in N. Korea: No Scorpions ‘Wind of Change,’ but interesting nonetheless

Rock bands helped play awakening role in communist Romania

Following news that Communist-era rock band Laibach will perform in North Korea for 'Victory Day' celebrations, Gregory Scarlatoiu – a former Eastern European citizen and Executive Director of the Committee for Human Rights in North Korea (HRNK) – shared his initial thoughts about the potential impact of the concert series with NK News:

I grew up in communist Romania, the one Eastern European country that was most similar to Kim Il Sung's North Korea. The 1980s were bleak, dull, oppressive and cold. But Romanian teenagers loved their Scorpions, Metallica, Iron Maiden, Deep Purple, Led Zeppelin and Pink Floyd.

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