Zico Reveals How Kim Jong Un And North Koreans Reacted To Hip-Hop

Zico recently returned from his special performance at North Korea for the 2018 Inter-Korean Summit in Pyongyang.

There, he performed one of his latest hits, “Artist”.

As hip-hop culture is still foreign to North Korea, Zico revealed that he worried how the audience would feel about his performance. Thankfully, the North Koreans were more than welcoming to his song!

“Hip-hop is a foreign genre [in North Korea], so I worried if the atmosphere would be alright. But they responded so well that I really didn’t need to worry.”

— Zico

Although they were welcoming of his performance, Zico revealed he had to change a phrase in his usual performance routine because it could sound offensive in the delicate bond between the two Korean countries.

“Usually, I would add in English ad-libs like ‘Put your hands up’ in the middle of the performance, but I changed it to ‘Put your hands up’ [in Korean] and the audience put their hands up for my performance.”

— Zico

Everyone was curious about one thing: Is Kim Jong Un a fan of hip-hop? Zico revealed that he wasn’t able to see his reaction since he sat far away, but the overall atmosphere was positive!

“I couldn’t see [his reaction] because of the distance, but the atmosphere was very cheerful in general.”

— Zico

Whether you’re a fan of K-Pop or from North Korea, no one can deny Zico’s ability to turn up a stage with his amazing showmanship!