N. Korean leader watches chorus show for armistice anniversary

SEOUL, July 28 (Yonhap) -- North Korean leader Kim Jong-il marked the anniversary
of the Korean War armistice by watching a national choral performance, state
media said Tuesday.
A day earlier, North Koreans commemorated the 1953 cease-fire with visits to the
statues of Kim Il-sung, the nation's late founder who led the Korean People's
Army during the war, and songs honoring him and his soldiers.
Kim Jong-il, 67, who succeeded his father after his death in 1994, watched the
performance by the Merited State Chorus and expressed great satisfaction, said
the Korean Central News Agency. The report did not reveal the date of the visit
or its location, customarily.
"He congratulated the artistes on their successful performance and warmly waved
back to the enthusiastically cheering audience," it said.
The chorus presented "Cantata to Marshal Kim Il Sung," "Song of National Defense"
and "A Soldier's Wish," songs that honor the war-time feats of the Korean
People's Army and the ordinary people, the report said.
"He expressed great expectation and conviction that they would conduct
revolutionary and militant performing activities to powerfully encourage the
servicepersons and the people to win fresh victories just as they did in those
days of the war," it said.
Kim's latest visit came after an 11-day pause, with his previous tour made to a
naval unit. Every move he takes has come into the foreign media spotlight since
he reportedly suffered a stroke in August last year. In a sign of recovery, he
has increased his public visits this year to 84 so far, compared to 60 during the
same period last year, according to South Korea's Unification Ministry data.
The July 27 cease-fire was signed between North Korea and China on one side and
the U.S.-led United Nations Command on the other, ending the three-year war that
left millions of soldiers and civilians dead on both sides of the border. North
Korea calls the war the "Fatherland Liberation War," on grounds that it tried to
"liberate" South Koreans from U.S. aggression.
hkim@yna.co.kr
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