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WIRE:04/07/2000 09:41:00 ET

Title: North Korea Blackout Disrupts Diplomatic Dance

PYONGYANG, April 7 (Reuters) - North Korean schoolgirl dancers putting on a show for a visiting Japanese delegation were wrongfooted by a power blackout on Friday, witnesses said.

The lights went out at the Mangyongdae Student Palace Theatre in Pyongyang for about seven minutes during the performance. The crowd of about 1,000 remained calm until the power was restored.

With the lights back on, the girls concluded their dance called "Let Us Make Flowers Bloom with all of Our Hearts" at the theatre, near the birthplace of former North Korean leader Kim Il-sung.

Japanese and North Korean delegates ended historic talks without an agreement on Friday, with the communist Pyongyang demanding that Tokyo first offer it compensation for its colonisation of the Korean peninsula from 1910-1945.

The reclusive North Korea has suffered acute shortages of food, fuel and cash in recent years and in Pyongyang, most lights were off on Friday night with the exception of a few major hotels and key offices.

http://abcnews.go.com/wire/World/reuters20000407_1212.html

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-- (Dee360Degree@aol.com), April 07, 2000