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South and North Korea hoist yellow flags at 11 guard posts on each side of the DMZ in the beginning of the trial phase of the disarmament process mentioned in an inter-Korean military agreement signed on Sept. 19. (provided by MND)
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Interest abounds concerning Xi Jinping’s Pyongyang before end of year
After watching a combined performance by artists from China and North Korea at the Mansudae Art Theatre in Pyongyang on Nov. 3, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un declared that “the traditional amity between North Korea and China, which has overcome the numerous storms of history, will flourish and develop even more moving forward, and we have been made certain of its bright future,” according to reports in the Rodong Sinmun and Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on Nov. 4. “The performance I saw was overflowing with the warmth and affection of the people of China and North Korea,” Kim said, while expressing “gratitude from the bottom of my heart” to Chinese President Xi Jinping for arranging the visit by the Chinese artists. North Korea’s Foreign Ministry held a welcome banquet for the visiting Chinese artists at the Koryo Hotel Pyongyang on Nov. 2, and Kim Jong-un attended the combined performance on Nov. 3. Kim was accompanied at the performance by Choe Ryong-hae and Ri Su-yong, both vice chairmen of the Workers’ Party of Korea; Kim Yo-jong, deputy director of the party’s central committee; and Culture Minister Pak Chun-nam. At the site of the performance, Kim was greeted by Luo Shugang, China’s Minister of Culture and Tourism and the head of the group of musicians; Wang Yajun, Vice Minister of the Communist Party of China’s International Department; and Li Jinjun, Chinese ambassador to North Korea. As interest surrounds the possibility of Chinese President Xi Jinping visiting North Korea before the end of the year, Kim’s message of friendship to China regarding the formation of an amicable relationship between the two countries is attracting attention. The schedule of Xi’s visit to North Korea is likely to depend on the results of the working-level and high-level negotiations between North Korea and the US that are resuming next week and Xi’s first summit with US President Donald Trump since the beginning of the trade war began between China and the US. Kim said that “The visit to Pyongyang by famous Chinese artists, who brought with them the warmth of friendship, has brought great joy to our people,” and Luo Shugang expressed his gratitude for the generous hospitality offered by the North Koreans. Kim expressed his hope that the Chinese artists’ visit to Pyongyang would be “a meaningful opportunity to further develop friendship between China and North Korea” and took a commemorative photo with the Chinese artists. During the performance, popular songs in North Korea and China were performed on stage, and the event concluded with a choir singing, “May Chinese and North Korean friendship last forever.” Following the performance, Kim came on stage and shook hands with each of the Chinese artists to congratulate them on a job well done. China’s state-run Xinhua News reported that Kim Jong-un had attended the first joint performance by Chinese and North Korean artists and that, before the show, he had met some of the major members of the troupe of artists and taken commemorative photos with them. Xinhua News also said that Kim had highly praised the healthy and stable development of China-North Korea bilateral relations and expressed his gratitude to Xi Jinping and the leadership of the Communist Party of China for sending Chinese artists that are beloved by the North Korean people to Pyongyang to hold a performance celebrating friendship and exchange. By Park Min-hee, staff reporter Please direct comments or questions to [english@hani.co.kr]
