Will magician turn North Korean currency into US dollar?     DATE: 2024-10-05 15:09:10

President Moon Jae-in helps magician Choi Hyun-woo at a daycare center in Seoul in January. Korea Times file
President Moon Jae-in helps magician Choi Hyun-woo at a daycare center in Seoul in January. Korea Times file

By Jung Da-min

South Korean magician Choi Hyun-woo is expected to perform in front of the leaders of the two Koreas, with Cheong Wa-dae announcing on Monday that Choi was in the South's delegation.

"I am not sure about the specifics (where and when I am going to present my show), as the news came as surprise," Choi told CBS radio, Tuesday morning just before leaving for Pyongyang.

He said he planned to engage North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in his show.

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"I cannot reveal which magic performances I'm going to present at the show, but I'm planning to create scenes that I hope show the 'miracle of inter-Korean unity,'" he said.

He was not sure whether he would do a similar trick to one performed by a North Korean magician ― turning North Korean currency into a U.S. dollar.

During the April 27 inter-Korean summit, a North Korean magician performed in front of South Korean President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.

In particular, he magically changed a 50,000 South Korean won bill into a 100-dollar bill. Choi said he thought this conveyed a message related to the North Korea-U.S. summit, which followed on June 12.