'Gangnam Style' Meets Robert Palmer: North Korean Girl Group Moranbong

We have all kinds of music fans here at theBeijinger, from metalheads to synth wankers. We feature upcoming events like Steve Vai, interview musicians who call themselves Amazing Insurance Salesmen, and get excited about folks called Shabazz Planets. So presenting a video of North Korea's first girl group Moranbong (which translates as "Peony Peak") is just all in a day's work for us.

The group has 18 members (and you thought Girls Generation was overpopulated), with the five singer-dancers upfront and their similarly all-female backing band. Think Robert Palmer's Addicted to Love backing band meets Gangnam Style, just substitute the Dear Leader for Robert Palmer.

The Daily Telegraph said the group "could just about pass as a Eurovision entry from Azerbaijan." Beijinger readers from Azerbaijan, we mean no offense.

"The Moranbong Band’s first performance was also meant to stimulate production in the textile sector, an important node of which Kim Jong Un and his female companion had visited the day before the ensemble’s premiere in Pyongyang," another commentator noted. Sexy.

Without further ado, click the video below to hear "Let's Learn." We're also hoping that the Koryo Tours folks will bring Moranbong over for the Beijing premiere of "Comrade Kim Goes Flying." Enjoy your now-surreal Sunday.

Photo: LondonKoreanLinks.net