North Korea's greatest hit: The accordion band who have become unlikely stars with their version of A-ha's Take On Me

By KERRY MCQUEENEY

Rehearsal: Students play together at the Kumsong school in Pyongyang, North Korea

It's not a country known for its pop prowess.
However, these musicians from North Korea have become an unlikely internet sensation after posting a video of their latest performance on YouTube.
Immaculately dressed in black - with not even a hair out of place - the musicians look like they are taking their forthcoming performance very seriously as they prepare to launch into the first few notes.
You would be forgiven for expecting the opening notes of this number to be something classical, a traditional Korean song perhaps.
However, the beginning bars reveal a far more familiar sounding song: Norwegian band A-Ha's classic 80s hit Take On Me.
Their note-perfect version of the 1984 hit has attracted more than 1.5million views on the video sharing website.


Taking on A-Ha: The Korean musicians are immaculately turned out as they give the classic 80s hit an accordion revamp

The young stars all attend the Kumsong school in Pyongyang, capital of North Korea
When the original song was released its accompanying music video was considered ground-breaking for its mixed use of animation and moving pictures.
The video features a young woman being pulled into a drawing by a 'sketched' lead singer, Morten Harket.

Masters of the accordion: The group pair off to try the tricky melodies

Dear leader: A woman student directs her fellow members of the group

This is not the first time Korea has produced internet stars on YouTube. In 2007 footage of prisoners dancing to Michael Jackson's thriller in the grounds of a Korean jail went viral, attracting more than 50million hits.
The video attracted widespread criticism because the inmates appeared to look terrified as they performed the flawless dance routine for the amusement of the guards.

Hit: The group has become a YouTube sensation with its performance


The real thing: Morten Harket from A-Ha in the video for Take On Me, which was considered to be pioneering at the time





source: dailymail