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Joo decided that he wanted to show that the cultural roots of the two nations are still the same and set about putting together 15 North Korean songs that are widely appreciated in the South, including ‘Arirang’ and ‘Spring of My Hometown.’ Joo also got some help from his grandfather, who had grown up in the North and escaped to the South during the war. Because of this Joo was able to accurately learn the melodies to these songs, which he hopes will preserve the shared traditions of the two Koreas for future generations, so that they can remember that there was once a unified Korean nation.

While political tensions have been up and down over the years, Korea has from time to time been united in terms of cultural events. For instance, in the 2000 and 2004 Olympics the two Koreas marched together in the same uniform and under the blue and white unification flag as a symbol of their common heritage, also using the pre-colonial name of “Corea.” There was even talk of the Koreas having a permanently unified Olympic team. However, the Beijing Olympics did not see the Koreas marching under one flag as relations between the North and the South had diminished.
Despite the recent tensions some people like Joo are keen to remember that all Koreans are one. Copies of Neither South nor North: The Songs We Used to Sing have been donated to schools and libraries in South Korea and the U.S. and all profits are going towards supporting the education of young North Korean defectors.