North Korea's all-female pop group Moranbong Band, hand-picked by the North's young leader Kim Jong-un, arrived in Beijing on Thursday for a six-day "friendship" tour, in the latest sign of warmer ties between the allies.

The North Korean band, led by Choe Hwi, first vice-department director of the North's ruling Workers' Party, arrived at the Beijing railway station earlier in the day.

The band, known for wearing short skirts and playing electronic violins, was formed in 2012 following an order of Kim, will perform in the National Center for the Performing Arts in Beijing starting Saturday for three days, marking its first performance in a foreign country.

Political ties between North Korea and China were strained following North Korea's third nuclear test in early 2013.

However, there have been signs of improvement since Liu Yunshan, the Chinese Communist Party's fifth-ranked official, visited Pyongyang in October and held talks with the North Korean leader Kim.

China's foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said Wednesday that the North Korean band's visit to China would help the allies deepen mutual understanding and friendship.

"North Korea is our close neighbor, and we continue to develop our bilateral ties," Hua said. "We believe such people-to-people exchanges in various forms are conducive to our mutual understanding and friendship." (Yonhap)