Girls un tour! North Korean leader sends his all-female dance troupe on six-day dancehall diplomacy tour of China
- Kim Jong-un ordered the creation of the all-girl band sometime in 2012
- State-run media reported that the Moranbong band will be gone for 6 days
- Senior North Korean officials greeted the band as they boarded a train
- Kim also declared war on deforestation describing trees as 'mountain gold'
North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un has despatched his all-female dance troupe on a six-day mission to China in an effort to rebuild relations with their northern neighbour.
This is the first time the all-girl band have been allowed out of the secretive state as Pyongyang attempts a diplomatic rapprochement with Beijing.
Relations between North Korea and China have been strained since Kim Jong-un decided to test new ballistic missiles and detonate a nuclear bomb in a secretive underground bunker in defiance of a request from Beijing.
North Korean despot Kim Jong-un has despatched his favourite female band to China in an effort to bolster diplomatic relations with Beijing which were hurt by a series of controversial weapons tests
The all-female Moranbong band, pictured, are incredibly popular within North Korea
Several high-ranking officials waved the band off as they travelled by train to China for their concerts
According to North Korean newspaper the Rodong Sinmun: 'The DPRK State Merited Chorus and Moranbong Band will pay friendship visit to China to give performances from December 10 to 15.
'The visit by the State Merited Chorus and Moranbong Band will contribute to deepening friendship and boosting the cultural and artistic exchanges between the peoples of the two countries.'
Share this article
It had been feared that the band had been purged as they had not been seen in public for several months although they entertained a delegation of officials from Cuba in September who flew to North Korea on a friendship visit.
As well as authorising the Chinese tour, Kim has 'declared war' on deforestation according to the country's foreign minister Ri Su Yong, who is in Paris for UN climate conference.
However, Kim Jong-un, pictured, was not at the platform to see the girls off as he had a prior engagement
The popular band are understood to play a number of patriotic North Korean songs praising their leader
Kim is believed to have ordered the creation of the popular band, pictured sometime in 2012
Ri told delegates that his leader as 'has declared war on deforestation and has put forward a massive project to turn all the mountains of the country into mountains of gold, thickly wooded with trees.'
Ri said the country plans to complete a large-scale tree-planting initiative over the next decade, which will help the 'national effort to mitigate climate change by reducing greenhouse gas emissions.'
He also noted North Korea has an 'aim of reducing the country's total amount of greenhouse gas emissions by 37.4 per cent compared with the levels of the 1990s.'
North Korean carbon emissions plummeted in the 1990s as its economy collapsed, but have crept slowly back up in recent years.
The nation's government 'will continue to faithfully discharge its responsibilities as a party to UNFCCC and actively engage itself in international efforts to protect the global environment,' said Ri.
The UNFCCC is the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), established 1992 as the main international arena for addressing global warming and its impacts.
Each member of band was greeted by senior North Korean officials before leaving on the tour
The band was formed in 2012 on orders from Kim who mandated that all the members should be attractive
Most watched News videos
- Russia: Nuclear weapons in Poland would become targets in wider war
- Moment pro-Gaza students harass Jacob Rees-Mogg at Cardiff University
- Moment Met Police officer tasers aggressive dog at Wembley Stadium
- Boris Johnson: Time to kick out London's do-nothing Mayor Sadiq Khan
- Pro-Palestine protester shouts 'we don't like white people' at UCLA
- Shocking moment gunman allegedly shoots and kills Iraqi influencer
- 'Dine-and-dashers' confronted by staff after 'trying to do a runner'
- Fiona Beal dances in front of pupils months before killing her lover
- Commuters evacuate King's Cross station as smoke fills the air
- Shocking moment British woman is punched by Thai security guard
- Prince Harry presents a Soldier of the Year award to US combat medic
- Alfie Best reveals why he decided to leave Britain and move to Monaco
