The international popularity of South Korean cultural content, otherwise known as Hallyu, continues to gain a stronger foothold in North Korea as well, with middle and high school students readily embracing such content. Many are able to follow the songs and choreography of popular groups such as Turtles and Girls¡¯ Generation, Daily NK has learned. 

¡°It is extremely common for middle and high school students to sing Turtles' song ¡®Bingo¡¯,¡± a source in Gangwon Province told Daily NK on Friday. ¡°The song itself is lively, but what draws the students more to the music is the fact that they can empathize with the lyrics, so they like it more than Psy¡¯s ¡®Gangnam Style.¡¯¡±   

¡°The lyrics of the song ¡®Bingo¡¯ reflect the sentiments of teenagers who want to deny existing notions and take the lead in their own lives,¡± the source explained. ¡°When students go to birthday parties at their friends¡¯ homes, they take a flash drive with the song ¡®Bingo¡¯ on it to liven up the atmosphere.¡± 

Some other popular songs are Frank Sinatra¡¯s ¡°My Way¡± and Ahn Jae Wook¡¯s ¡°Friend,¡± while Psy¡¯s wildly popular ¡°Gangnam Style¡± is sung in different lyrics such as ¡°Pyongyang Style¡± or ¡°Wonsan Style¡± in a bid to evade surveillance. However, ¡°Bingo¡± is still the most popular and commonly sung among students because of the lyrics, according to the source. 

The burgeoning private tutoring industry has branched out to offer choreography lessons for popular South Korean songs, such as Girls' Generation numbers, with teachers scrambling to meet the rise in demand for such courses, which rank alongside more traditionally sought-after subjects like foreign languages and musical instruments. These dance tutors, mostly graduates of colleges that specialize in arts or former dancers, have mastered the moves independently using [smuggled] discs packed with content from the South.

¡°The dance instructors use their homes as studio spaces, teaching students the basic steps before moving on to instruct them in the actual choreography,¡± the source said. ¡°More than 80% of female students in major cities are learning South Korean dances from private tutors.¡± 

The monthly fee usually creeps up in the double-digit dollar range; it goes without saying that these courses, subject to crackdowns on ¡®corrupt¡¯ foreign content, are carried out secretly. Unsurprisingly, the source reported that in the event that such occurrences are exposed during a sweeping crackdown, officials are easily bribed, providing little in the way of thwarting the trend's rapid spread.