New band at North Korea

North Korea's girl band Moranbang cancels shows, leaves China abruptly

North Korea's girl band goes to China 01:59

Story highlights

• Moranbang canceled abruptly before they were due to perform their first show on Saturday night
• Yonhap: Members seen leaving the hotel and at airport, accompanied by North Korean ambassador
• The all-female group was formed in 2012 and was handpicked by dictator Kim Jong Un

(CNN)North Korean girl band Moranbang have canceled their shows in Beijing, China's National Center for the Performing Arts (NCPA) confirmed.

Famously handpicked by North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un, they were originally scheduled to perform a week of shows in Beijing in a bid to improve relations between the two countries.

The all-female group, which sings synthesizer-backed paeans about the repressive leader's "warm heart" and "sweet smile," were scheduled to perform their first show on Saturday night.

But the NCPA, the venue for the shows, posted a statement on its official Weibo account saying the North Korean performances have been canceled "for a reason" and apologized to its audience.

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