Anchor: As the two Koreas agreed during their working-level meeting on Monday, North Korea's 140-member Samjiyon Orchestra will make a visit to the South next month. Known for its renditions of Disney soundtracks, the North Korean orchestra will stage performances in Seoul and the PyeongChang-Gangneung area where the winter games will take place. 
Kim Bum-soo has this report.

Report: 

[Sound bite: Korean Central TV recorded broadcast of Samjiyon Orchestra performance (Jan. 2017)]

The Samjiyon Orchestra is playing a piece from the Disney animation, "The Lion King." 

[Sound bite: Korean Central TV recorded broadcast of Samjiyon Orchestra performance (Jan. 2017)] 

During the 2017 New Year's concert, the North Korean orchestra in a rare move performed renditions from a total of eight iconic Disney soundtracks, including the 1930s "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" and the more recent "Kung Fu Panda."

Late North Korean leader Kim Jong-il is said to have established the musical ensemble in 2009 to promote classical music for the masses. The name "Samjiyon" comes from three ponds near Baekdu mountain, which the Pyongyang regime promotes as the birthplace of the late Kim and the current leader Kim Jong-un.

During the PyeongChang Olympic Winter Games next month, the North Korean orchestra will stage performances in Seoul and in the PyeongChang-Gangneung area. 

During the inter-Korean working-level talks at the truce village on Monday, Pyongyang officials said that the orchestra in will play Korean folk songs and globally-known masterpieces in the South.

The North wants to send the orchestra via an inland route, crossing the demilitarized zone. The North will soon send an advanced team to check out the venue and make necessary preparations.

The envisioned concerts will mark the first North Korean art performance in 15 and a half years in South Korea.
Kim Bum-soo, KBS World Radio News.

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