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Moranbong Band Discography 2012.07.06 - 
http://www.naenara.com.kp/contents_e/periodic/news_daily/2019/01/24/08-0.htm
Hyon Song-wol also present along with the musicians.
Is this a leaflet for people attending the concert?
Yes, it’s the leaflet for people attending this concert. It revealed some information about SMC’s member, the concertmaster of SMC is People’s Actor Moon Il-hwan, the leader of the flute section Merited Actress Lee Jung-hui, the leader of the cello section Ryu Myong-ho, the leader of the trombone section People’s Actor Yoo Won-chol, the leader of the saxophone section Sonu Jung-hyok, the leader of the percussion section Kim Jin-hyok and the leader of the violin section Jang Il-myong.
Lee Jung-hui, the former UO member and got her Merited Actress title in 2013/04. She also won the one of the 18th 2.18 Art Awards individual competition in 2008. Yes, MBB Sonu Hyang-hui won the same 2.18 Art Awards at the same time, but Sonu didn’t get any honorary title until now. According to Rodong Sinmun, official newspaper of the Central Committee of the Workers’ Party of DPR Korea, the concertmaster Moon Il-hwan got his Peoples’s Actor title in 2012/10.
My mistake, the concertmaster Moon Il-hwan got his Peoples’s Actor title in 2015/10.
Xi Jinping an Peng Liyuan attended the 2nd concert today, according to Xinhua.
To the left of Xi Jingping, the first woman is Kim Yu-kyong, then Kim Sol-mi, looking well, and next to her, Pak Mi-kyong. I cannot recognise the rest on that side.
To the right of Xi Jingping, the first woman is Ryu Jin-a, and next to her is Song Yong. I can’t identify anyone else unfortunately.
Very nice to see them all there.
On the left side of Xi, after your list, we have two former Unhasu Orchestra singers, first So Un Hyang 서은향, who is nowadays supposed to be teaching singing at the Kim Won Gyun General University of Music, and at the extreme left Kim Kyong Hui 김경희, who is supposed to have moved to the Mansudae Art Troupe, and she performed also with the Samjiyon Band of the MAT in 2017. To the right of Xi, after Song Yong, we have Ro Kyong Mi 로경미, who performed in the Samjiyon Orchestra in South Korea in February 2018. The lady beside her at the extreme right may be called Kim Ju Ok 김주옥, but there is no certainty of the name, nor affiliation.
Boa tarde, companheiros! Vocês saberiam me dizer se este evento que sucedeu na China será transmitido em breve? Obrigado. Abraço!
Good afternoon, fellas! Could you tell me if this event that happened in China will be broadcast soon? Thank you. Hug!
Nobody knows. There may be no broadcast. The concerts were strictly for the higher level party insiders. Even lower level cadres of the Chinese Communist Party with long-standing interest or relations with North Korea have not been able to attend the concerts. We shall see.
At CCTV live stream of today’s programme there is a short news clip about an audience given by Xi Jinping to the North Korean musical representatives, including Hyon Song Wol and some performers, and a few scenes from the concert. At this moment it is at the location of -55 mins, but the stream goes on all the time. Hwang Un Mi (UO-SMC) was also there, performing together with So Un Hyang the “Hymn for the Yangtze River” 长江之歌.
I took a cut of the video on my screen – but unfortunately my technique does not allow taking also sound. It can be seen for a while at Dropbox, if no new videos come around. The chief conductor Jang Ryong Sik and singer Song Yong also were present at the audience. I did not recognize the others.
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/dkv7fizt55mslkk/AABI2QBLYjY17DZkCnP-Fgypa?dl=0
Muito obrigado, Pekkakorhonen! Torçamos para que seja transmitido. Abraço!
Thank you very much, Pekkakorhonen! Let us hope that it will be transmitted. Hug!
It’s part of another performance brochure.
There’s very little chance that this show will be aired.
The performance was conducted in secret.
All the smart phones were returned before the entrance
She’s so beautiful in civilian dress, and I hope to see her at the Seoul concert sooner or later.
who?
Oh, my bad I forgot to mention her name. The leaflet says “Singer, Merited Actress Kim Yu-kyong”.
A fall performance (가을이 왔다) was scheduled after a performance last spring (봄이 왔다), but was cancelled for several reasons.
After the N.K-U.S summit this year, Kim Jong-un will visit Seoul, where perhaps an art group will visit. However, it was unknown whether Kim Yu-kyung would be included.
I also look forward to seeing her in Seoul.
You can see a little bit of the show here in the video.
The Korean press continues to pay attention to Hyun Song-wol
She is an orchestra leader and also has a position in the Labour Party.
But sitting next to President Xi Jinping is really interesting.
I read many journals and books about MBB, and here is another journal regarding
“Style Characteristics and Symbolism of the Moranbong Band’s Stage Costumes”.
written by Jungsun Huh and Awon Kim.
Click to access 14671.pdf
It might not sound like the glamorous thing, but anyone who’s interested in MBB will see it. It includes an English abstract.
A high resolution picture of the art troupe
Posted this already a few times here, with the hope to get trough wordpress buggy comment sytem. But anyway some more footage of the concert.
Pyongyang, January 31 (KCNA) — The friendship art delegation of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) is visiting the People’s Republic of China (PRC) from January 23.
The delegation has received a warm hospitality from the Chinese party, government and people since it arrived at Dandong Railway Station, border station of China.
It arrived in Beijing on the morning of January 24.
It was warmly greeted at Beijing Railway Station by Song Tao, head of the International Liaison Department of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC), and other cadres of the department and officials concerned.
The DPRK friendship art delegation gave performances before full houses at the State Grand Theatre in Beijing from Jan. 26.
Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and president of the People’s Republic of China, and his wife Peng Liyuan met the DPRK friendship art delegation and enjoyed the performance at the theatre on Jan. 27.
Prior to the performance Xi Jinping and Peng Liyuan met leading members of the delegation and had a talk with them.
Xi Jinping said that the performance of the delegation is not only cultural exchange for the implementation of an important shared understanding between China and the DPRK but also an important activity for celebrating the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between them, expressing his will to consolidate the traditional China-DPRK friendship.
Noting that he was moved by the good performance prepared by the Korean comrades, he congratulated the DPRK friendship art delegation upon its great success.
Saying that the cultural and art exchange is a very special and traditional major component of the China-DPRK relations, he hoped that the two sides would make joint efforts for positive contributions to the promotion of the building of socialist culture.
Ri Su Yong, who is leading the delegation, said that every number of the program prepared by the delegation is associated with the noble intention of the chairman of the Workers’ Party of Korea, to carry forward the valuable tradition of the DPRK-China friendship as required by the new times and steadily develop the feelings of friendship between the two peoples and thus add a brilliant page to the history of the DPRK-China relations.
Expressing thanks to Xi Jinping for prioritizing and paying attention to the performing tour of the delegation, he hoped that the current performance would be the New Year greetings to the Chinese comrades.
Xi Jinping together with Peng Liyuan appreciated the performance given by the delegation.
Among the audience were Wang Huning, member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau and member of the Secretariat of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China; Ding Xuexiang, member of the Political Bureau and member of the Secretariat and director of the General Office of the C.C., CPC; Sun Chunlan, member of the Political Bureau of the C.C., CPC and vice-premier of the State Council; Yang Jiechi, member of the Political Bureau and director of the Office of the Foreign Affairs Commission of the C.C., CPC; Huang Kunming, member of the Political Bureau, member of the Secretariat and head of the Publicity Department of the C.C., CPC; Cai Qi, member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and secretary of the Beijing Municipal Committee of the CPC; Wang Yi, state councilor and minister of Foreign Affairs of the PRC; Song Tao, head of the International Liaison Department of the CPC Central Committee; and other officials of the Chinese party and government, artistes and citizens of Beijing.
Put on the stage, which started with the prelude “Korea-China Friendship Will Be Ever-lasting”, were colorful music and dance pieces including favorite songs of the two peoples dating back to the annuls of the heroic creation and struggle.
Amid the playing of songs of friendship and unity rocking the mountains and rivers of the two countries, impressive pictures of the leaders of the elder generations of the two countries and the supreme leaders of the two parties, who have shared the intention and feelings in the great course of the DPRK-China friendship, meeting with each other were screened to rouse enthusiastic applauses.
Put on the stage were colorful numbers such as female solo and male chorus “We Love You, Socialism” and song and dance “Dash toward Future” depicting dignity and rosy future of the DPRK advancing along the road of Korean-style socialism while demonstrating the might of the single-minded unity under the wise guidance of the Workers’ Party of Korea.
Also put on the stage were female duet and male chorus “Song of Changjiang” and other Chinese songs sung in the annals of prosperity of the Chinese nation as well as the proud 70-year long history of new China, which were performed by male choruses of the State Merited Chorus.
The songs reflecting the time-honored history of China and the patriotic emotion and optimism of the Chinese people gripped the minds of the audience.
The performance was loudly applauded as it made a vigorous and fresh representation of the aspirations and desire of the peoples of the DPRK and China to more beautifully write an epic of friendship and unity to be envied by the whole world.
Xi Jinping and Peng Liyuan presented a floral basket to the performers and mounted the stage to congratulate them on their successful performance and had a photo taken with them.
The performance continued until Jan. 28.
The State Grand Theater, where the hot wind of enjoying the revolutionary opera “The Flower Girl” and the wonderfully adapted opera “A Dream of Red Mansions” was raised fiercely, was crowded every day with the audience who came to appreciate the performance of the Korean artistes.
Among the audience were Li Zhanshu, member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the C.C., CPC, and chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress of the People’s Republic of China, and other senior officials of the Chinese party and government, artistes and citizens of Beijing.
Three-day performances full of hot air of the DPRK-China friendship drew down a curtain, being loudly applauded.
During the stay the delegation enjoyed welcome performances given by the Chinese National Ballet at the Tianqiao Theatre in Beijing and by the opera troupe of the Chinese National Opera Theatre and toured the Capital Museum, Lao She Teahouse and the Chinese Art Gallery.
The Central Committee of the Communist Party of China gave a hearty welcome to the friendship art delegation of the DPRK during its China visit at the instruction and upon authorization of Xi Jinping. The art delegation achieved a rich success under the special care of the supreme leaders of the two parties and the two countries of the DPRK and China.
The KCTV documentary of the concert
23:30. During their Beijing stay, NK’s friendship art delegation received the encouragement letter from KJU. They all cried, and sang “Missing You” songs with deep feelings.
Also they are all wearing hoodies. Never seen something like that in NK before.
It’s interesting to see that Ri Su-yong, Vice Chairman of the Central Committee of the Workers’ Party of DPRK wears hoodies too. But NK still bans wearing Western clothing such as jeans.
http://www.ddanzi.com/free/522717749
There is a woman wearing in jeans, but I believe she’s a visitor.
Very odd to see the hoodies indeed, however, the moranbong girls weren’t seen with hoodies at all. Also interesting to see the members of the SMC chatting among themselves at the Pyongyang railway station, before their departure.
I can hear the SMC playing “No new China without the communist party”, at 14:03, but i keep on thinking of the version here:
It seems the concert has treated Kim Yu-kyong well, with her own solo at 21:02, I think we can say that she is the more dominant singer from the moranbong band currently. I’m sure that will please many of us here.
Great to see Kim Sol-mi back again. Ryu Jin-a is just looking beautiful in her choson-ot. All the girls are singing well in Mandarin, have just learned the lyrics of the songs they are singing, or, is it more likely that they have learned at least a good bit of mandarin to help them understand the pronunciation, especially considering how well pronounced it seems?
Kim Sol-mi (김설미) looks prettier than ever!!!
yes, she looks much younger than on stage.
A full concert released. Perhaps to make a full propaganda point after the documentary, just before the Chinese spring festival holidays.
Is it perhaps Ryu Jina’s turn to be pregnant?
My Chinese friends tell that the ladies sing in Chinese quite well and pronounce it nicely, clearly better than the SMC males, and better than they did in the Moranbong Band debut concert in 2012, when they perfomed 红旗飘飘 Red flag flying: https://youtu.be/n_sVYhdiiTc?t=2376
Even at that time their Chinese pronunciation was not bad at all, and also now there are some tones that may not be exactly like the Chinese voice them. Anyway, this means that at least Pak Mi-gyong, Kim Sol-mi, Kim Yu-gyong, and Ryu Jina have been practicing singing in Chinese over the years. Whether they have also studied it as a foreign spoken language we cannot know, but there probably is a good reason why they were chosen to travel to Beijing now.
Excepting Ryu Jina, the other three were in Beijing also in December 2015, when the MBB&SMC concert was cancelled. Pak Son-hyang and Jo Guk-hyang went to Beijing also in 2015, and obviously can also sing in Chinese, but they were not chosen this time.
Olá, Pekkakorhonen! Meu amigo, ultimamente tenho notado que a Ryu Jina-solo estar um pouco corpulenta, talvez ela esteja grávida. Caso se confirme o que suspeitamos, será o segundo bebê Moranbong que teremos notícia. Um abraço!
Hello, Pekkakorhonen! My friend, lately I’ve noticed that Ryu Jina-solo is a little corpulent, maybe she’s pregnant. If we confirm what we suspect, it will be the second Moranbong baby we will hear. A hug!
Another thing of note is the high quality video they’ve given us, I assume the video hasn’t been upgraded or anything?
I noticed at 51:05, the female guitarist, could be wishful thinking, does resemble Kang Phyong-hui a bit? There isn’t anything saying it can’t be her however.
Really loved Ryu Jin-a there, just stunning in all aspects at 35:15. I’m unsure if she is pregnant as you say, I can’t really see it. If so, however, I can only think of one VERY lucky man!
North Korea is in a position to be obsessed with China.
This was a very humiliating performance.
I’m really angry
It is quite interesting how they sang with pictures and clips of Xi Jingping in the background, much like they have done with their own respected Leader. They respect the Chinese leadership, most likely because the Chinese have economically supported the DPRK, especially after the dissolution of the USSR. However, it makes you think, perhaps they would sing songs praising the US leadership if they were good enough to release sanctions on the DPRK and invite an art troupe into the US? I think that the China-DPRK relationship is special however, probably goes back to the help the DPRK received from China in the Korean War.
It was still good music though, in my opinion.
We should also be grateful that they even released a clip of the full concert, considering it wasn’t really expected at all.
Everyone has their own way of looking for things. For me, it was a remarkable concert by NK’s most revered musicians. Kang Ji-hye’s Kayagum solo “Arirang” is truly amazing. It’s the first time I can see the whole playing, and there are a lot of the traditional instruments are played like 장새납(Jangsaenap), 꽹과리(Kkwaeng-gwali) and 징(Jing). It’s a beautiful combination of intervals and rhythms. The Kayagum is a traditional Korean string instrument, NK has improved the Kayagum with an increased number of strings since 1960s. It was one of Kim Il-sung’s Juche Ideology. I believe NK’s Kayagum got 21 or 23 strings, but SK’s traditional Kayagum has only 12 strings.
The song “Dash to the future” (달려가자 미래로) is awesome, our beloved youtube channel “Moranbong Band” pointed out that it’s the first time this style of the song has been shown to the North Korean people. He also stated this being shown to the public may come as a surprise, but it may also show a changing style in the North Korean music world. I completely agree with his point of view. Moreover, its political lyrics removed like Samjiyon Orchestra’s concert in 2018. They replaced “Workers Party” with “This land’s prosperity”, and I believe it’s a positive signal for us.
Is that only me who thinks the translator is really cute!
They took a picture of the Chosun Dynasty going to pay tribute to the Chinese emperor.
This happened in the 21st century.