Central Military Band of the Korean People's Army explained

Central Military Band of the Korean People's Army
Location:	Pyongyang, North Korea
Members:	over 200

Rr:	Joseon inmingun gunakdan
Mr:	Chosŏn inmin'gun kunaktan
Context:	north

The Central Military Band of the Korean People's Army, also sometimes known as the Korean People's Army Marching Band or DPRK Army Orchestra is a North Korean musical group/marching band based in Pyongyang and is the sole military band of the Korean People's Army. The Women's Military Marching Band of the Ministry of People's Security of the DPRK is the all-female unit of the central band.

History

On February 23, 1946, the Military Band of the Pyongyang Military School was created, which became the predecessor of the Band of the Korean People's Army. Its first performance was at the inaugural ceremony of the Pyongyang Institute founded by President Kim Il Sung.^[1] In June 1950, it became the Band of the Ministry of People's Security, and later that year, the band became attached as a unit of the Supreme Guard Command's Honor Guard Battalion. By September 1954, full control of the band was given to the Ministry of Public Security, serving for the remainder of the Cold War and the 1990s before being reorganized into a separate entity in June 1998 as a directly reporting unit of the General Political Bureau of the Korean People's Army, tasked as the primary unit for the military music activities throughout the whole KPA.^{[2] [3]}

Activities

The CMB-KPA, as the premier and principal band of the whole KPA, presides over all garrison and unit bands within the KPA's service branches and the Worker-Peasant Red Guards. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has described the band as one that is "instilling revolutionary enthusiasm and fighting spirit into all the service personnel and people."^[4]

The band is similar to United States college marching bands in that they both solely specialize in military style marching, notably during ceremonial parades and public performances. The band has been known to play pop, brass & military music during many of its performances.^[5]

Parades and ceremonies

• Military parades in North Korea
  • Party Foundation Day (parades on jubilee years)
  • Military Foundation Day (parades on jubilee years)
  • Day of the Foundation of the Republic (parades on jubilee years)
  • Day of the Sun (2012, 2017, 2022 parades)^[6]
• State funeral of Kim Il-sung
• State funeral of Kim Jong-il^[7]

Performances

Notable concerts

• Concert for the state visit of Russian President Vladimir Putin (2000)
• Joint concert with the Central Military Band of the People's Liberation Army of China in honor of the 60th anniversary of the Korean Armistice (2013)^[8]
• Joint concert with the Central Military Band of the Ministry of Defense of Russia in Pyongyang (2014)^[9]
• 70th anniversary concert (2016)^[10]

Festivals

• The Amur Waves International Military Bands Festival (2012 and 2015)^[11]
• Spasskaya Tower Military Music Festival and Tattoo (2019)^[12]

See also

• Korean People's Army
• Music of North Korea

External links

• The band marching during the celebrations of Army Day
• DPRK North Korea Girl's Brass Band
• Joint Performance of Military Bands of North Korea and Russia
• North Korean Military Band toured Russia
• North Korean Military Band marches through Pyongyang in Memory of 60th Anniversary of War Victory
• North Korean army band performs at Moscow's Red Square
• Web site: - YouTube . zh:中国人民解放军军乐团行进演奏 . Performance by the People's Liberation of Army Band. .

Notes and References

1. Web site: Concert of KPA Military Band Enjoyed .
2. Web site: https://amur-waves.ru/ru/participants/2012/voennyj-orkestr-korejskoj-narodnoj-armii. ru:Военный оркестр Корейской народной армии. amur-waves.ru. ru. 2018-03-16. 2020-12-08. https://web.archive.org/web/20201208093019/https://amur-waves.ru/ru/participants/2012/voennyj-orkestr-korejskoj-narodnoj-armii. dead.
3. Web site: https://m.tver.kp.ru/daily/25888/2849135/. ru:Военный оркестр из КНДР презентовал хабаровчанам новый мегахит [аудио]. Дмитрий СОТНИКОВ Сайт «Комсомольской. правды». 24 May 2012. kp.ru. ru.
4. Web site: Kim Jong-un attends military band concert . 23 February 2016 .
5. Book: North Korean Cinema: A History. 9780786490523. Schönherr. Johannes. 2012-08-10.
6. News: 위대한 수령 김일성동지 탄생 １１０돐경축 중앙보고대회 및 평양시군중시위 성대히 진행 경애하는 김정은동지께서 참석하시였다 . 17 January 2024 . Rodong Sinmun . 16 April 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240117145036/http://rodong.rep.kp/ko/index.php?strPageID=SF01_02_01&newsID=2022-04-16-0001 . 17 January 2024 . Pyongyang, DPRK . bot: unknown .
7. News: Corée du Nord : Kim Jong-un nommé " leader suprême ". 29 December 2011. Radio-Canada. 29 December 2011.
8. Web site: http://korean.people.com.cn/84967/15132577.html. ko:중국인민해방군군악단 조선서 공연. 11 August 2018. ko. 12 August 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180812053308/http://korean.people.com.cn/84967/15132577.html. 12 August 2018. dead.
9. Web site: https://remch-ch.livejournal.com/526619.html. ru:С центральным военным оркестром Министерства обороны РФ. ВИДЕО. remch_ch. 2 July 2014. livejournal.com. ru.
10. Web site: Kim Jong-un attends military band concert. 23 February 2016.
11. Web site: https://amurmedia.ru/news/amp/439341/. ru:Первые участники военно-музыкального фестиваля Амурские волны прибывают в Хабаровск - AmurMedia. AmurMedia. amurmedia.ru. ru.
12. Web site: The Military Band of the Korean People's Army of the DPR Korea — [EN] Spasskaya bashnya.