Various Events Including Peace Concert to Mark 20th Anniversary of June 15 Inter-Korean Joint Declaration

[Suwon Ilbo=Reporter Park No-hun] Gyeonggi Province announced on the 28th that it will host a variety of events including talk concerts and peace music concerts to spread an atmosphere of peace on the Korean Peninsula in commemoration of the 20th anniversary of the June 15 Inter-Korean Joint Declaration.

First, on June 10 at Banwol Art Hall in Pocheon City, the 'Peace Talk Concert Commemorating the 20th Anniversary of the June 15 Joint Declaration - Baekdu and Halla (Hallasan) are My Homeland' will be held. The talk concert will be attended by Lee Jae-gang, Deputy Governor for Peace of Gyeonggi Province, along with former Minister of Unification Lee Jong-seok, Pocheon Mayor Park Yun-guk, and others who will discuss peace policies of Gyeonggi Province and Pocheon City with citizens. During the discussion, a stage will be arranged where Gwangmyeong Symphony, a social enterprise, and the Hope Songs Theater Group will recreate the Seoul performance by North Korea's Samjiyon Orchestra that took place in February 2018.

The province originally planned this event to accommodate many residents, but in consideration of the COVID-19 situation, the event will proceed with only about 200 residents invited, including firefighters, medical personnel, and volunteers.

At the outdoor performance venue of Paju Peace Nuri Park, the gateway to peaceful unification heading northward, from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. on June 14, a 'Peace Music Concert' for peace on the Korean Peninsula will be held.
This concert, jointly promoted by Gyeonggi Province, the Pan-National Council for National Reconciliation and Cooperation, and KBS, will be conducted under the theme 'Walking Together' with the meaning of walking together with residents on a unified road from the northernmost tip of Gyeonggi Province to Pyongyang.
Centered on four thematic stages - [The Beginning and Leap of Peace] - [The Sorrow of Korea's Division] - [Crisis as Opportunity] - [Wishing for Peace and Harmony on the Korean Peninsula], thematic videos and performances will unfold, with a diverse array of singers including YB (Yoon Do-hyun Band), Yang Hee-eun, Song So-hee, Dynamic Duo, Kim Ho-joong, Forestella, and AB6IX participating in large numbers.
For on-site attendance, verification of health status including temperature check and mask-wearing confirmation will be required, and it will be broadcast live simultaneously on KBS1TV.

Additionally, Gyeonggi Province will hold nationwide events with the Ministry of Unification and Seoul City from June 1 to 15 under the theme 'Creating Peace on the Korean Peninsula.' Plans include sequentially conducting programs such as ▲Empathy (Peace Challenge, KBS Immortal Songs Special Broadcast) ▲Hope (Peace Walk) ▲Communication (June 15 Commemoration Ceremony).
The 'Peace Challenge' is an event where citizens freely express their understanding and thoughts on 'peace' and share them through social media (SNS), with outstanding videos selected after the event concludes and prize money and certificates awarded. At 6 p.m. on June 13, KBS 2TV's Immortal Songs will broadcast a special edition featuring '(tentatively titled) Song of Peace for the Republic of Korea,' and on June 14, a 'Peace Walk' program is being prepared where citizens will walk around the Paju border area (Imjingak to Inter-Korean Liaison Office). On the evening of June 15, a 'June 15 20th Anniversary Commemoration Ceremony and Citizens' Cultural Event' is also being promoted.

Shin Myung-seop, Director General of the Peace and Cooperation Bureau of Gyeonggi Province, stated, "We have prepared diverse events with maximum quarantine systems in place to be held with residents to commemorate the meaning of the summit meeting and the June 15 Inter-Korean Joint Declaration, the first to materialize in the history of division, and to spread an atmosphere of peace on the Korean Peninsula," adding, "We hope that the residents' wishes for peace will lead to the resumption of Kaesong tourism and the restart of the Kaesong Industrial Complex."