North Korean president Kim Jong-Un has ordered his state-approved girl band to return home after finding out their concert would be snubbed by the Chinese leadership.
The Moranbong Band were due to perform at a series of invitation-only concerts on Saturday in Beijing when they were suddenly cancelled.
Seoul-based news agency Yonhap reported North Koreans were insulted when the Chinese government decided to send lower-ranking officials to the concerts, which were to be held at Beijing’s National Centre for Performing Arts.
An unidentified Chinese government official told Yonhap that the Chinese president, Xi Jinping, was expected to attend, but instead just one politburo member was offered.
The performances were meant to improve relationships between China and Pyongyang ahead of an important UN meeting.
However, Beijing chose to pull its high-profile attendees on Thursday, the same day Mr Kim claimed his scientists had developed a hydrogen bomb.
Mr Kim claimed his father, Kim Il Sung, had “turned the DPRK (Democratic People’s Republic of Korea) into a powerful nuclear weapons state ready to detonate a self-reliant A-bomb and H-bomb to reliably defend its sovereignty and the dignity of the nation”.
Yonhap said the snub was a deliberate expression of China’s disapproval at his claims.
The news proved to be far too insulting for Mr Kim, who ordered the immediate return of the Moranbong Band.
Relationships between North Korea and China have been strained since Mr Kim came into power in 2011. However, they appeared to be improving following a visit by high-ranking Chinese official Liu Yunshan to Pyongyang in October.
