Head of girl band leads North Korean team to South

Eye of the media storm: Hyon (centre) arriving at the Gangneung railway station in South Korea. — AP

SEOUL: The head of a hugely popular North Korean girl band crossed the heavily fortified border into South Korea to check preparations for rare performances by an art troupe she also leads during next month’s Winter Olympics.

Appearing live on South Korean television, Hyon Song-wol didn’t speak when she walked past a crowd of reporters, onlookers and a barrage of camera flashes before boarding an express train at Seoul’s railway station for the eastern city of Gangneung, where her art troupe is to perform during the Pyeongchang Olympics.