Gyeongsan City Successfully Hosts 80th Liberation Anniversary ‘Unification Song Festival’... 'South and North United Through Music'

To mark the 80th anniversary of Liberation Day, a stage where South and North Koreans united through music was held in Gyeongsan.

The Gyeongsan City Council of the National Unification Advisory Council (Chairperson Kim Hyungsoo) announced on August 18 that it successfully hosted the 'South-North Band Remember Peace Concert' and the '3rd Unification Song Festival' at the Haengbok Power Plant in Amnyang-eup, Gyeongsan on August 15, with around 130 participants including citizens and North Korean defectors.

During the South-North Band Remember Peace Concert, musicians from both South and North Korea came together to deliver melodies of peace.

In the talks held between performances, participants shared candid hopes for unification and discussed the reality of division, which deeply resonated with the audience.

At the subsequent 3rd Unification Song Festival, citizens and North Korean defectors communicated through song, performing both songs of their choice and those related to unification.

One participant expressed, "I hope there will be more days like today when we can laugh and sing together."

Kim Hyungsoo, chairperson of the council, stated, "In this historic year marking the 80th anniversary of Liberation, I hope that this event, where musicians from both South and North Korea and citizens came together, will become an important step toward a future of peace and unification beyond division," adding, "We will continue to do our utmost to broaden the consensus for peaceful unification."

Gyeongsan Mayor Cho Hyunil said, "It is meaningful to share the emotion of the 80th anniversary of Liberation through music and to envision a future where South and North become one," adding, "I hope the resonance of today will echo for a long time on the path to peace and unification."

This concert and unification song festival were held to commemorate the significance of Liberation, expand cultural exchanges between South and North Korea, support the settlement of North Korean defectors in the local community, and broaden the consensus for peaceful unification. The Gyeongsan City Council plans to continue creating various opportunities for communication for peace and unification together with the local community.