The Moranbong Band [wiki], also known as Moran Hill Orchestra, is an all-female music group in North Korea whose members were selected by the country’s supreme leader Kim Jong-un. Debuted in 2012, they are the first female band from DPRK.
The group, which is said to be hugely popular in their homeland, made headlines earlier this month when their show in Beijing was cancelled last-minute, with rumours of possible defection (which has been officially debunked).
There are suggestions that the creation of the group is to counteract the rise of South Korean pop culture in North Korea. Some foreign media actually branded Moranbong Band as North Korean version of South Korean pop group Girls’ Generation, but it’s probably in terms of popularity instead of musical style.
Check out some YouTube videos of Moranbong Band below; military themed music is the essential part of the group, as expected…
But they have light-music too, along with “modernised” fashion items such as mini-dresses and high heels, and also flashy hairstyles…
The ladies also play some global classics, and they play their instruments well…