On April 10, the opening ceremony of the 25th "The Spring of April" Friendship Art Festival was held in the East Pyongyang Grand Theater decorated by colorful banners. Yang Hyong Sup, Vice-President of the Presidium of the DPRK Supreme People's Assembly, Kang Nung-su, Minister of Culture, and 50 art organizations from more than 30 countries and regions and the foreign diplomatic envoys to the DPRK attended the opening ceremony.
(Greeting friends)
On the occasion of the opening ceremony, Kang Nung-su, Minister of Culture and the Chairman of Organizing Committee of this art festival made the address first. He welcomed the guests from different countries to participate in the 25th "Spring of April" Friendship Art Festival, and said that this art festival is based on the idea of independence, peace and friendship to promote the development of national arts and human culture, expand and strengthen the friendship and contacts among the countries, and accelerate the cultural cooperation and exchanges.
(Ceremony of raising flags)
As the only foreign ambassador addressing the opening ceremony, Liu Xiaoming, the Chinese Ambassador to DPRK, made his remarks. He first extended the warm congratulation to the opening of the 25th "Spring of April" Friendship Art Festival on behalf of the Chinese Government. Ambassador Liu said, the Chinese Government has attached great attention to the "Spring of April" Friendship Art Festival of Pyongyang, and has sent the art troupe to the Festival every year since 1985. This time, China also sent the Chinese Art Troupe with excellent artists to participate in this art festival, and he believed that the Chinese artists would offer wonderful performances to the DPRK audience together with fellow artists from different countries of the world, and make their contribution to promoting the mutual understanding and friendship among the peoples of different countries, and to the success of the art festival.
(Ambassador Liu making remarks)
Ambassador Liu said that China and the DPRK are friendly neighboring countries. The China-DPRK friendship was founded and fostered by the leaders of elder generations of the two countries, and has been consolidated over the time. April 15 of this year is the 95th birthday of Chairman Kim Il-sung, and we deeply cherish the memory of his contributions to the China-DPRK friendship. To continue to consolidate and develop the friendly and cooperative relations between China and the DPRK is in the fundamental interest of the two peoples, and also beneficial to the peace and stability of the Korean Peninsula and the Northeast Asia. He was certain that with the joint efforts of both sides, the China-DPRK friendly cooperation would certainly move ahead. In the end, Ambassador Liu wished this art festival a complete success.
(Artists from different countries)
(Song of friendship in unison)
The "Spring of April" Friendship Art Festival is the international grand artistic gathering held by the DPRK every year marking the birthday of Kim Il-sung, and the artists from different countries are invited to participate. The first art festival was held in 1982. It is usually held from April 10 to 18 of each year in Pyongyang, and many prizes, such as group prize, special prize, individual prize, art prize and creativity prize, have been awarded since the 7th festival. This year, China has sent the Chinese Art Troupe with 82 members from the Hebei Song and Dance Troupe and the Shandong Acrobatic Troupe to participate.
(Joyously singing and dancing)