Kim Jong Un will send a girl band to woo Beijing ahead of human rights discussions

At risk of facing the International Criminal Court for human rights abuses, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un believes he might have just the trick up his sleeve to save his skin: North Korea's version of the Spice Girls, the Moranbong Band.

The all-girl, violin-wielding pop group was personally assembled by Kim in 2012, and they perform songs about the dictator's "warm heart" and "sweet smile" next to videos of, for example, missiles hitting the United States. It is Kim's plan to send the Moranbong Band to China in order to warm relations with Beijing, as the Chinese capital holds veto power at an upcoming United Nations Security Council meeting that will discuss alleged human rights abuses in North Korea. Depending on how China votes, the U.N. could potentially refer Kim to the International Criminal Court — which Pyongyang naturally hopes to avoid. That's where Moranbong's "friendship performances" in China come in.

"The Chinese are very pragmatic, they weigh the cost of keeping North Korea within their patronage. Apparently so far China seems to think the benefit outweighs the cost," Lee Jung-hoon, a professor of international relations at South Korea's Yonsei University, told CNN.

The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

North Korean news agency KCNA reported that Pyongyang hopes the Moranbong Band will "contribute to deepening friendship and boosting the cultural and artistic exchanges between the peoples of the two countries."

Watch the Moranbong band perform below. Jeva Lange