North Korea's State-Sponsored Performers, Moranbong Band

Hit Song: North Korean Moranbong Band: 배우자 - Let's study (English Translation)

Named “North Korean Spice Girls” by the Western audiences, who are the women carefully hand-picked by Kim Jong-Un as a response to Korea’s Hallyu wave? Moranbong Band, also called Moran Hill Orchestra, is a group of around a dozen women, with various line-up changes and sub-units.

In a time where South Korean pop was starting to become famous worldwide and was heard everywhere thanks to PSY’s “Gangnam Style”, in North Korea, an iconic and unique group was being formed by their Dictator. What better to feed the masses, hungry for Western influences and media, than to give them a sliver of similarity to world-famous singers?

Early History and Formation

While being promoted and talked about in Western spaces as a “North Korean K-pop group”, Moranbong Band is more akin to a unique military orchestra than a flashy contemporary South Korean pop act. 

Debuting on the 6th of July 2012 with the most Westernized look we had ever seen in North Korean media, they held a performance where multiple American and International references and pieces of media were shown. Appearing on stage in short sequined dresses and long hair, playing electric violins against backdrops of rockets launching and patriotic slogans, with eye-catching jewelry along with music full of pop, rock and synthesizers, the original six members brought forward very different feelings in the Western and North Korean audiences. Nevertheless, this apparent Westernization of the media was all but a ploy following Kim’s agenda on celebrating an apparent openness to the West. In the years passing (starting as soon as their second performance), their Western look was significantly toned down, the artists being seen in what resembles more Soviet Union uniforms than 80s-inspired outfits, and the members allegedly put on diets to have a more homogeneous look, erasing all individuality.

Who Are the Members?

All members of the band are women, most of them graduated from either of two institutions: Pyongyang University of Music or Goldstar Academy in Pyongyang. The band has seen many line-up changes since its debut, but a constant fact has always been the members’ ability to play instruments; during its many years of activity and different styles explored, many members have been swapped solely based on their technical ability rather than artistic input. 

An important fact that shows just how much this group is more of a military orchestra than anything is how all the members of the band hold high ranks in the military and have almost always appeared in public in their uniforms, insignias appointed on them. That doesn’t necessarily mean that they have undergone military training because in North Korea you can be promoted to a military rank without previous experience if the Party sees fit, and as we know very little about these women we can only speculate on their backgrounds.

This life may seem dazzling and exciting to most, especially compared to the daily realities of ordinary North Koreans, but the truth is that we don’t know what these women have endured: as they were reportedly handpicked to be part of the band by the President, we have to reflect on how this job may have been put on them without much choice. Behind the shiny polished performances and carefully controlled image is a state documented by the United Nations Commission of Inquiry (2014) and numerous NGOs as responsible for some of the world’s most systematic violations of human rights, such as censorship, forced labor, and restrictions on freedom of movement. We have no idea what was going on behind closed doors when they were training for the band, especially considering that it is a military orchestra, which raises the possibility of physical and mental abuse similar to that faced by ordinary soldiers. The band then embodies a contradiction: while projected as symbols of empowerment and modernity, its members operate within a system that allows no genuine artistic freedom. 

Propaganda and Success

Their songs can be quite catchy and enjoyable to listen to, but their lyrics and contents are clearly propagandistic, which follows the fact that the group was created as a political tool to appeal to young Korean minds looking for entertainment.

Their most popular tunes bear titles such as “Let’s go to Mount Pektu”,“Without a break” “My country is the best”, “Let’s study”, with self-explanatory lyrics like “How can he be so kind, I have no choice but to be taken by him and his warm heart.” “We will make our land shine” “We love the red Party flag of ardour”, depicting the party and its head as fatherly, warm and God-like.

Another thing we mustn’t forget is that, despite these artists seemingly portraying a new archetype of “New Modern Woman”, this is all but a facade set up by the government to spread the idea that the regime is open and modern, simply used to instill patriotic sentiment into the masses in a different and more approachable way. Moreover, the group’s position as a soft-diplomacy tool can’t be ignored, being invited to perform in different countries.

Citations and References 

“2018.01.01.” Moranbong Band Discography 2012.07.06 -, 10 Jan. 2018, morandisco.wordpress.com/2018-01-01/. Accessed 23 Sept. 2025.

Breadcrumb. 31 Aug. 2025, service.disasterplanning.com/25947756/north-korean-musicians.html. Accessed 23 Sept. 2025.

Cathcart, Adam, et al. “How Authoritarian Regimes Maintain Domain Consensus: North Korea’s Information Strategies in the Kim Jong-Un Era.” Review of Korean Studies, vol. 17, no. 2, 2014, pp. 145–178, sinonk.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/RKS_Cathcart.Green_.Denney.pdf#page=20. Accessed 23 Sept. 2025.

Draut, Darcie, and Jimin Lee. “Packaged and Controlled by the Masculine State: Moranbong Band and Gender in New Chosun-Style Performance.” Sino-NK, 3 May 2013, sinonk.com/2013/05/03/packaged-and-controlled-by-the-masculine-state-moranbong-band-and-gender-in-new-choson-style-performance/.

Dwek, Joel. “NORTH KOREA: Moranbong Band - Moranbong Band.” 200worldalbums.com, 26 Apr. 2021, www.200worldalbums.com/post/north-korea-moranbong-band-moranbong-band. Accessed 23 Sept. 2025.

Griffiths, James. “Will Kim Jong Un’s Favorite Band Be Attending the Winter Olympics?” CNN, 15 Jan. 2018, edition.cnn.com/2018/01/15/asia/north-korea-moranbong-band-olympics-intl. Accessed 23 Sept. 2025.

Korhonen, Pekka, and Adam Cathcart. “Tradition and Legitimation in North Korea: The Role of the Moranbong Band.” The Review of Korean Studies, vol. 20, no. 2, 2017, pp. 7–32, accesson.kr/rks/assets/pdf/7831/journal-20-2-7.pdf. Accessed 17 June 2024.

Meixler, Eli. “What to Know about North Korean Pop Group Moranbong.” Time, 16 Jan. 2018, time.com/5103724/north-korea-moranbong-band-winter-olympics/.

“Moranbong Band.” Wikipedia, 30 Apr. 2024, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moranbong_Band.

“North Korean Archives and Library - Moranbong Band.” Google.com, 2019, sites.google.com/view/northnkaal/video-and-audio-materials/concerts/moranbong-band. Accessed 23 Sept. 2025.

Pekka, Korhonen. “Rock Gospels: Analyzing the Artistic Style of Moranbong Band.” Sino-NK, 4 Mar. 2014, sinonk.com/2014/03/04/rock-gospels-analyzing-the-artistic-style-of-moranbong-band/.

“We Love the Party Flag | Explore DPRK.” Explore DPRK, 8 Oct. 2016, exploredprk.com/music/we-love-the-party-flag/. Accessed 23 Sept. 2025.

webmasterypt. “Moranbong Band (2021).” Young Pioneer Tours, 2024, www.youngpioneertours.com/moranbong-band/.

Header image: Photo from North Korean Moranbong Band: 배우자 - Let's study (English Translation)