South Korean art troupes return home after joint concert with North Korean counterparts

South Korean musicians performed their final show in Pyongyang with North Korea's Samjiyon Orchestra in front of a packed house.The concert ended with an emotional finale... as the artists from both sides came together to sing for peace and reunification.Kim Mok-yeon reports. The 160-member art troupe, together with the Taekwondo team returned to South Korea early Wednesday morning bringing the curtain down on their historic five-day stay in the North Korean capital.Though the trip was short, pundits say it was a successful event that planted new hopes for a better future between the two Koreas.North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's surprise attendance at the first concert on Sunday, and his abrupt proposal to hold another concert later this year, is seen as a positive sign for further cooperation in the cultural sector. After the second performance on Tuesday, the organizers from both sides spoke of their feelings. "Everyone was so touched that they couldn't believe this is real. I think we will actually realize what happened when we return to South Korea." "I'm glad because I think the concert went well. Both sides did well."For their last performance on Tuesday, musicians from the two sides began the two hour long concert with their North Korean counterparts at around 3:30 p.m., South Korea time.The concert was held at the 12,000-seat Ryugyong Jong Ju Yong( ) Gymnasium, which is eight times larger than the venue for the first performance, held on Sunday.The group, the first South Korean troupe to perform in North Korea since then, consisted of nearly a dozen artists, including legendary singers Cho Yong-pil and Lee Sun-hee, K-pop stars Red Velvet, and Seo Hyun of Girls Generation. Unlike the first concert on Sunday where Seo Hyun emceed by herself, this time she was accompanied by a Choe Hyo-song , a reporter from the North's Korean Central TV.The joint performance ended with a standing ovation after all the musicians sang two famous songs together,... North Korea's "See You Again", and South Korea's "Our Wish is Reunification" Following the performance, the South Korean artists, together with Culture minister Do Jong-hwan, attended a dinner hosted by Kim Yong-chol , Vice Chairman of the Central Committee of North Korea's Workers' Party.Kim Mok-yeon, Arirang News.