2018 has been a significant year for North Korean cultural diplomacy. Clearly, the primary push has been southward, and coordinated with Kim Jong Un’s overall drive to improve relations with Seoul.

At the recent Pyongyang summit between Kim and Moon Jae-in, musical performances — and the performers themselves — played a significant role, going well beyond providing ceremonial trappings or tuneful (and predictably emotional) Arirangs.

Kim Jong Un is clearly very proud of his cultural achievements, including the hybrid pop-agit-prop Moranbong Band, whose leader Hyon Song Wol has played a significant role in inter-Korean relations in the past