The Mansudae Art Troupe () is a

North Korea North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the northern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and borders China and Russia to the north at the Yalu River, Yalu (Amnok) an ...

n troupe of musicians that create light-classical operas and music, as well as dance pieces.

History

The Mansudae Art Troupe is the successor to the Central Art Troupe that was formed on 27 September 1969. According to the KCNA however "Its predecessor was the Pyongyang Art Troupe founded in

Juche ''Juche'', officially the ''Juche'' idea, is a component of Ideology of the Workers' Party of Korea#Kimilsungism–Kimjongilism, Kimilsungism–Kimjongilism, the state ideology of North Korea and the official ideology of the Workers' Party o ...

35 (1946)". In the 1970s,

Kim Jong Il Kim Jong Il (born Yuri Kim; 16 February 1941 or 1942 – 17 December 2011) was a North Korean politician who was the second Supreme Leader (North Korean title), supreme leader of North Korea from Death and state funeral of Kim Il Sung, the de ...

, before he became leader, made sure the Mansudae Art Troupe portrayed his father

Kim Il Sung Kim Il Sung (born Kim Song Ju; 15 April 1912 – 8 July 1994) was a North Korean politician and the founder of North Korea, which he led as its first Supreme Leader (North Korean title), supreme leader from North Korea#Founding, its establishm ...

as a revolutionary genius who liberated Korea from the Japanese occupation, portrayed the history of the Kim family favourably and eulogising North Korean revolutionaries. The Mansudae Art Troupe has performed over 700 times in over 50 countries to "promote the friendship with the progressive peoples of the world." It played a key role in producing the revolutionary opera '' The Flower Girl'' (1972) a tragic story about North Korea under Japanese occupation during the 1930s and said to have been written by

. The Troupe is said to have performed Flower Girl 1,300 times and Hong Yong-hee an actress from the film of the opera, is on the North Korean one-Won bank note. The Mansudae Art Troupe also performed the " Song of Paradise" (1976) over 340 times. The troupe has also created 1,500 songs and over 500 instrumental pieces and was awarded the Order of Kim Il Sung in 1972. Dancers from the troupe appeared in three North Korean Stamps issued in 1973.

Ko Yong-hui Ko Yong-hui (; ; 26 June 1952 – 13 August 2004), also spelled Ko Young-hee, was the mistress of North Korean supreme leader Kim Jong Il and the mother of his successor, Kim Jong Un. Within North Korea, she is only referred to by titles, such ...

was a dancer in the Mansudae Art Troupe in the 1970s. She met Kim Jong Il in 1975 and became his consort although he was already married to Kim Yong-Sook. Ko had three children by Kim Jong Il. The troupe performed in a concert in Pyongyang, celebrating the start of 2019.

Pochonbo Electronic Ensemble

In 1985 the Pochonbo Electronic Ensemble was formed from the electronic music orchestra of the Mansudae Art Troupe as a separate independent band. Instruments included electronic pianos and synthesizers as well as

traditional Korean musical instruments Traditional Korean musical instruments comprise a wide range of string, wind, and percussion instruments. String Korean string instruments include those that are plucked, bowed, and struck. Most Korean string instruments use silk strings, except ...

. Previously electronic music had not been encouraged in North Korea.

The Samjiyon Band

The Samjiyon Band was started in 2009 as part of the Mansudae Art Troupe by order of

. It is distinct from, but possibly composed of the same artists as the Samjiyon Orchestra. In 2018 North and South Korea agreed 140 musicians, singers and dancers from this orchestra, led by Hyon Song-wol would perform in

Gangneung Gangneung (; ) is a list of cities in South Korea, municipal city in Gangwon, South Korea, Gangwon province, on the east coast of South Korea. It has a population of 213,658 (as of 2017).Gangneung City (2003)Population & Households. Retrieved Ja ...

and

Seoul Seoul, officially Seoul Special Metropolitan City, is the capital city, capital and largest city of South Korea. The broader Seoul Metropolitan Area, encompassing Seoul, Gyeonggi Province and Incheon, emerged as the world's List of cities b ...

in South Korea during the

Winter Olympics The Winter Olympic Games (), also known as the Winter Olympics, is a major international multi-sport event held once every four years for sports practiced on snow and ice. The first Winter Olympic Games, the 1924 Winter Olympics, were held i ...

References

{{Authority control North Korean musical groups Musical groups established in 1946

History

Pochonbo Electronic Ensemble

The Samjiyon Band

See also

References