Published 19:40 IST, September 9th 2019
Concert in Korea's DMZ on 1st anniversary of Pyongyang Declaration
South Korea will celebrate the first anniversary of the Joint Pyongyang Declaration in DMZ (Demilitarized zone) with concerts on theme "Cultural connect"
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To celebrate the first anniversary of the Joint Pyongyang Declaration adopted by the leaders of the two Koreas, South Korea will hold a concert along the heavily fortified Demilitarized Zone on September 9. Opening at Dorasan Station, just south of the border with North Korea, the DMZ Peace Concert in the evening will have the theme "Culture Connects".
South Korean Ministers of culture, foreign affairs, and unification will attend the celebration, which will bring together musicians from many different genres for a joint performance. The other invitees include North Korean defectors, Korean War veterans, South Korean and American soldiers stationed near the border, and South Korean civilians whose hometowns are in the North, according to the Ministry.
Highlights of event
Chinese-American cellist Yo-Yo Ma and prominent Korean traditional drummer and performer Kim Deok-su, are a part of the concert's lineup, according to the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism. Ahn Sook-sun, master singer of the Korean traditional solo opera "Pansori;" and female K-pop duo Rooftop Moonlight will also be included in the performances. Traditional Korean dances from both the South and the North and Yo-Yo Ma's unaccompanied cello performance will be the main attraction of the event. Other than this, children's songs from the era before the division of the two Koreas and a piano performance by Kim Cheol-Woong, a North Korean pianist who defected to South Korea will also be featured in the two-hour concert.
Peacemaking in the Korean Peninsula
In recognition of their joint determination to end military hostility across the border and to boost cooperation, President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un signed the declaration in the North Korean capital on September 19 last year. Efforts like the opening of some of the trails along the southern side of the DMZ to the public has been ratcheted by Seoul to transform the DMZ and surrounding areas. The cultural projects are a symbol of peace undertaken by the Government. The Ministry hopes that the celebrations too will draw attention to the peace that is building in the Korean Peninsula.
(With inputs from ANI)
16:30 IST, September 9th 2019