A South Korean singer has revealed his sadness at the news that a group of university students have allegedly been punished by the North Korean authorities for singing one of his songs, “Friend”.
Giving an interview to Radio Free Asia on the 6th, An Jae Wook explained, ”Friends are a precious thing whenever and wherever we are, unrelated to ideology or system, and I believe that the North Korean people sang the song with that emotion.
“I hope the day will soon come when North and South can sing the song together, despite their ideologies and systems being different,” An added.
North Korea is currently coming down heavily on the singing of South Korean songs and watching of South Korean dramas. According to an RFA source in Yangkang Province, “The crackdown against people who harbor illusions about South Korea is getting more serious, with those people certain to be dealt with as spies.”
Last month, RFA reported the case, in which students from No.1 University of Education in Chongjin engaged in farm support activities in Osang-ri in North Hamkyung Province were investigated by the People’s Safety Ministry and their ideology criticized after they were caught singing “Friend”.
