culture

One of the abiding memories of 2025 of the Korean people is of the wonderful art performances which make them feel the great excitement and joy of that time again.

It starts with the New Year performance given in a distinctive style at May Day Stadium in Pyongyang.

The famous song of the times “Dear Father”, a beloved song widely sung as an all-people hymn in 2024, and other songs in praise of the Workers’ Party of Korea which has ushered in a new era of transformation were performed one after another, exciting the people greeting the year 2025. The audience sang songs together with the performers, recollecting the days and months of the unforgettable year 2024 like a kaleidoscope of pictures.

They were followed by the songs on the theme of patriotism including “We Are Koreans” and “The Motherland and My Destiny” newly put on the stage in the New Year celebration, striking a chord with the audience who showed heartfelt sympathy and enthusiastic response to them.

All the audience sang in chorus “We Are Koreans”, which praises in an excited tone the Korean people as the indomitable people who have never yielded to any formidable enemy generation after generation and who are successfully building a powerful country which would rise up forever in the world, and “The Motherland and My Destiny”, which reflects the thoughts and feelings of the people who share the fate of the country that cannot be separated from them and their will to brave any storm for the country, and they became all-people songs in a moment.

The music and dance performance based on a real-life story “Our Father”, which was created and produced by the North Phyongan Provincial Art Troupe in 2025, also greatly impressed the audience.

The work was set in July 2024 when the country was hit by flood.

The audience broke into enthusiastic applause with excitement whenever the image of Kim Jong Un, general secretary of the Workers’ Party of Korea who directed the operations to rescue the flood victims at the dangerous place where it rained heavily to flood the whole area, came up with a grand plan for providing the flood victims with homes of happiness free from danger forever while looking round all the flooded areas on board a rubber boat and showed such immense love for the flood victims, especially students, children and old people, which they would not forget all their life, was projected on the stage background and the new life in the new villages which have undergone a sea change was represented on the stage.

The performers and creators said that the love of the respected General Secretary was really poems and songs and that they offered a lifelike representation of the life and feelings of the Korean people.

The performance given at the plaza of the Arch of Triumph in Pyongyang to mark the 80th anniversary of national liberation also left a lasting impression on the audience.

Impressive was the flag unfurled by paratroopers in the sky, nicely decorating the prelude to the celebration performance. More impressive were the songs of the anti-Japanese war sung on the stage in the solemn atmosphere of recollection, which reminded people of the past history of the Korean revolution.

The performance touched the hearts of the audience as it highly praised the faith and brave spirit of the DPRK people to write a new chapter of history of comprehensive development of socialism with pride and self-confidence in the path followed by the country, ardent patriotic loyalty and indomitable will.

The grand mass gymnastics and artistic performance “Long Live the Workers’ Party of Korea” in celebration of the 80th founding anniversary of the Workers’ Party of Korea was the most significant of all the performances staged last year in both scale and depth.

The performance, showing in an artistic form the history of the WPK that has been perfectly true to the noble ideal of the people-first principle since the day 80 years ago, greatly excited the audience.

Featuring scenes showing vigorous gymnastic movements, elegant dance movements, bright and happy looks of the rising generations who grow up vigorously, bringing into full bloom their dreams and hopes, and famous songs of the times reflecting strong patriotic feelings and aspirations, it was a box office success.

The artistic performance staged to congratulate the commanding officers and combatants of the overseas operations units of the Korean People’s Army instilled in the people what patriotism and eternal life are.

The songs in remembrance of the brave fighters, who displayed matchless bravery and heroic self-sacrificing spirit, made all the people of the country bear in mind how they should lead their life and what they have to do for the country.

The performances, which made the people look back upon the past history and filled them with hope for the future with beautiful melodies and rhythms and which gave them a strong impression to refresh their mind, clearly showed the enthusiasm of the Korean people to powerfully shape a more brilliant future.