South Korea dancing away from US to China

North Korea has already begun recruiting young women for the cheer squad it will send to the Winter Olympics next month.

Getting into mass rhythmic exercises on the first sports day of this year at Kim Il-sung Square in Pyongyang on Sunday. Picture: AP

North Korea has already begun recruiting young women for the cheer squad it will send to the Winter Olympics in PyeongChang in South Korea next month, following last week’s breakthrough talks between the countries.

Further negotiations in Monday saw the sides agree that North Korea’s 140-person Samjiyon orchestra will perform in Seoul and the eastern city Gangneung, the venue for Olympic ice hockey and figure skating events.

The North Korean pop group Moranbong Band, comprising 10 women performers, is also set to appear in the South. Its lead singer, Hyon Song-wol, was at Monday’s talks.

And according to a leading analyst, the detente under way demonstrates that South Korea, although a US ally, has realigned its position nearer to Beijing’s — with the conditions triggering the talks resembling most closely those suggested by China.

The requirements for the all-female cheer squad that will cross the border to attend the Games, include being young and attractive, according to overseas-based website NK News that provides comprehensive coverage of the North. Ri Sol-ju, the wife of ­“Supreme Leader” Kim Jong-un, was formerly a member of North Korea’s sports cheer squad.

Contenders must be between 165cm and 170cm tall and potential new recruits are being trained to “show off our strong nuclear-armed republic through the power of culture”.

An NK News source said the squad, which has performed previously at the Asian Games, “will freshen up their routine to try to match the dancing style of South Korean K-Pop girl groups”.

At the same time it will try to convey North Korean culture, especially to international audiences watching the Games on TV.

The final selection for the squad is expected to be made at the end of this month.

Moranbong Band lead singer Hyon Song-wol with North Korean delegation head Kwon Hook-bong on Monday. Picture: AP

It is naturally considered crucial that none of the cheer squad defects while on such a rare opportunity to leave the North.

Thus family members viewed by the authorities as in any way “problematic” is an instant disqualification.

“Officials are now meticulously scrutinising the ideological ­purity of the applicants and their family members,” NK News said.

Most of the young women are expected to be recruited, as previously, from prestigious academic institutions such as Kumsong School, which Ms Ri ­attended.

A former North Korean athlete who defected to the South said his daughter had previously sought to join the cheer squad but her athletic talents were out-weighed by the descendants of famous fighters against Japanese occupation.

The former athlete also said that whatever the contender’s skills or family background, the clinching qualification would be money discreetly made available to the appropriate channels, ensuring “they will see their names on the final list”.

Gavekal Research, based in Beijing and Hong Kong, states in a new briefing paper that the new detente between North and South Korea has been driven by China’s freeze-for-freeze ­proposal.

The proposal, that the North halt its ­weapons tests in exchange for the US suspending its military exercises with South Korea, was outwardly rejected by Pyongyang and Washington.

However, the decision by the US two weeks ago to delay the ­exercises until after the Para­lympoics in March has become the first steps towards diplomatic ­engagement.

Gavekal researcher Yanmei Xie said Kim might now regard his security as sufficiently ensured by North Korea’s nuclear attainments to be in a position to suspend nuclear and missile tests, thus create the conditions for talks.

“No one should expect the ­detente to convince Kim to give up his nuclear weapons,” Ms Xie said.

“But it does emphasise a truth that some in Washington may find uncomfortable to swallow. South Korea sees defusing ­tensions — no denuclearisation at all costs — as its No 1 priority.

“In short, Seoul, a US ally, has realigned its position closer to ­Beijing’s.”

China had been making tactical concessions while achieving strategic gains.

“Beijing has never believed that North Korea can be denuclearised without China bearing unacceptable costs,” she said.

The Chinese game plan was to agree to an incremental tightening of sanctions sufficient to placate Washington, but not ­severe enough to turn Pyongyang into an enemy or to destabilise the ­regime while at the same time being tough enough to persuade North Korea, having achieved base-level nuclear capability, to halt its tests and let tensions subside.