(From left) Hip-hop artist Zico, vocalist Ali, magician Choi Hyun-woo and vocalist Ailee, who are members of the South Korean cultural delegation to the third inter-Korean summit between South Korean President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, chat while visiting Okryu Children's Hospital in Pyongyang, Sept. 18. Joint Press Corps



Arriving from North Korea where he performed on the sidelines of the historic three-day inter-Korean summit, rapper Zico has said he was impressed by North Korean audiences who musically responded to his hip hop performance.



Zico was part of the cultural delegation accompanying President Moon Jae-in in his visit for talks with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un Tuesday through Thursday.



Zico performed his 2017 hit song "Artist," a funky hip hop song filled with witty rap lines, during the dinner party thrown by Kim on the first day, along with his K-pop mates, Ailee and Ali.



Zico quoted First Lady Kim Jung-sook as calling him "the hottest person of the South Korean delegation" as she introduced him to Kim's wife, Ri Sol-ju, at the beginning of the three-day trip.



"I was concerned whether the unfamiliar genre of hip hop would fit the atmosphere," Zico recalled in a phone interview with Yonhap News Agency after his return on Thursday.



"But (the North Korean side) showed a sufficient response to brush off the concerns."





Scene from Zico's "Artist" music video