[Global NK Research] Exchange and Cooperation in Music and Arts Between the Soviet Union and North Korea - Analysis of Articles in the "Leninichi" Newspaper

[Editor's Note]

During the Soviet era, the Soviet Union and North Korea actively engaged in exchanges not only in politics and economics but also in culture and arts. Cultural exchanges involved mutual visits to introduce dance and music techniques and dispatching experts for training. The author explains that the exchange and cooperation in music and arts between the Soviet Union and North Korea mutually influenced the development of the arts in both countries. Notably, works produced by North Korea in the 1950s-60s are still housed in libraries in the Moscow region and some provincial cities in Russia. Based on information from the "Leninichi" newspaper, the author examines the exchange activities in music and arts between the two countries from 1948 to 1990, categorized by period. It is emphasized that the exchange performances at the time comforted and encouraged the Koryo-saram community, contributing to the inheritance of Korean national identity.

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Introduction

From the establishment of the North Korean government until the collapse of the Soviet Union (1991), active exchanges took place between the Soviet Union and North Korea in various fields, including politics, economics (agriculture), culture and arts, and sports. For instance, the anniversary of the October Revolution (1917), the anniversary of the victory in World War II (1945), the anniversary of the establishment of the North Korean government (1948), and the anniversary of the Korean War (1950) were grandly celebrated every ten years. During these times, Soviet delegations frequently visited North Korea, or North Korean delegations visited the Soviet Union (Moscow), often for political purposes. However, in addition to celebratory visits of a political nature, exchanges in arts and culture (music and performances; dance, singing, circus, etc.) also periodically continued. Unfortunately, the latter has not been well-documented in research.

Generally, during mutual performance tours, dance, music, instruments, and composition techniques were introduced to each other. Performance materials such as janggu, buk, jing, and gwaenggwari were also exchanged, and short-term and long-term training through the dispatch of musicians and experts was often provided. In these exchange visits, Koryo-saram artists from Central Asia played a leading role on the Soviet side. These types of exchange performances took place throughout the mentioned period (1948-90), strengthening exchanges and cooperation in music and arts between the Soviet Union and North Korea, and also significantly contributing to the development of performing arts in the Koryo-saram communities in Central Asia. Furthermore, in addition to exchange performances, mutual acquisition of music and arts-related works between the Soviet Union and North Korea was also actively pursued. Music-related works (dance, music, songs, and instruments) produced mainly in the 1950s-60s were widely acquired by the Soviet side from North Korea, and these materials are still housed in libraries in the Moscow region and some provincial cities in Russia.

To understand the current status of collections and research on North Korean ethnic music, the author examined relevant materials at the Russian State Library (formerly the Lenin State Library of the USSR) in Moscow, the Gorky Scientific Library of Saint Petersburg State University in St. Petersburg, the Gorky Public Library of Primorsky Krai in the Far East, and the State Central Archive of Audiovisual and Documentary Records of Kazakhstan in Almaty, all of which are expected to hold North Korean ethnic music materials within the CIS. Subsequently, to observe the exchange activities in music and arts (mutual performance tours, training through dispatch of musicians and experts, and material support) between the Soviet Union and North Korea, the author reviewed articles from 1948-90 in the "Leninichi" newspaper (published from 1938-90), which best represents the lives of Koryo-saram during the Soviet era.

Status of North Korean Ethnic Music Materials and Research within the CIS

Regarding the collection and research status of North Korean ethnic music materials, it was confirmed that outside of libraries in the capital, Moscow, there were very few or no literature and research findings available through online searches in other regions (the situation might differ for offline searches). Most of the confirmed materials are in book form, with only a very small number of translated versions found, and no academic papers or other materials were identified. The majority of the retrieved materials consist of folk songs, popular songs presumed to have revolutionary themes, and narrative songs believed to contain laudatory content. Although limited in quantity, the North Korean ethnic music materials collected to some extent in the 1960s hold significant meaning. For example, Ham Hwajin's "Chosun Music Discussion" and "Chosun Music (Research Materials)" housed at the Russian State Library are materials missing from existing North Korean publication lists. Music materials from 1945-1970 remaining in countries that actively exchanged with North Korea's music scene in the past, including Russia, Central Asian countries, East Germany, China, and Japan, are crucial not only for reconstructing North Korean music history but also for researching a unified Korean ethnic music history.

Exchange and Cooperation in Music and Arts Between the Soviet Union and North Korea

The exchange activities in music and arts between the Soviet Union and North Korea from 1948 to 1990 (including mutual performance tours, training through dispatch of musicians and experts, and material support) were examined in several periods based on information published in the "Leninichi" newspaper, which was published throughout the Soviet era in the Koryo-saram community in Central Asia.

① Period 1948-1960

[Leninichi, September 17, 1955, p. 3 article]

During this period, a significant number of exchange visits occurred. Exchange visits began actively shortly after the establishment of the North Korean government, and interestingly, they continued steadily regardless of the political situation, even around the outbreak of the Korean War in the early 1950s. Some direct examples of exchange visits include the performance tour of the Pyongyang Art Troupe, including Choi Seung-hee and Lee Kyung-pal, in Moscow in June 1950, and in October of the following year, another performance tour of the Pyongyang Art Troupe, featuring Choi Seung-hee, Kim Wan-woo, and Yoo Eun-kyung, in Moscow. In May 1953, the "Korean People's Army Music and Dance Ensemble" (Director Lee Chun-hyun), composed of 170 members, performed three times in Moscow. The exchange visit of a North Korean performance troupe (Uzbek SSR, Kazakh SSR) in September 1955 is particularly noteworthy. To commemorate the 10th anniversary of liberation, a North Korean performance troupe led by Jeong Ryul (Jeong Sang-jin) performed in Tashkent, Uzbek SSR, then arrived in Almaty on September 1st and stayed for four days, giving two performances at the Abai Kazakh State Academic Theater of Opera and Ballet. During this event, pianist Lee In-hyung performed the solo piece "Heroic Sonata" (Composer Moon Kyung-ok), actress Cha Jin-sil performed "Cheongjinpo Boat Song," National Art Theater dancers Ra Sook-hee performed fan dance and sword dance, actor Baek Rak-won performed the folk song "Bakyeon Falls," National Art Theater dancer Lee Seok-ye performed the dances "Cotton Picker Girl" and "Rose Flower," Ahn Sung-hee performed "Bara Dance" and "Janggu Dance," solo singer Wang Soo-bok performed the folk songs "Pear Blossom Song" and "Weaving Song," and gayageum performer Jung Nam-hee performed "Morning in Pyongyang," while actress Yoo Eun-kyung performed "Arirang Taryeong" and "Nightingale." These performances received enthusiastic responses from the audience.

② Period 1961-1980

Compared to the previous period, the frequency of exchange visits in this period is relatively low, with only three exchange visits recorded in newspaper searches. The first was a tour by the Pyongyang Art and Dance Company in Moscow, Leningrad, and other major Soviet cities in December 1966. The second was a performance by the "Beryozka" Soviet State Dance Ensemble at the Pyongyang Grand Theater in February 1969 (a rare case not composed of Koryo-saram). Finally, in 1974, the "Labor Reserve" Art Troupe, active in Khabarovsk, visited Pyongyang. During this period, instead of exchange visits, the Soviet-North Korean Friendship Societies (Soviet-North Korean Friendship Societies) were primarily active, carrying out friendship activities in both countries. These organizations served as channels for friendly exchanges, organizing conferences in cities like Moscow, St. Petersburg, Khabarovsk, Vladivostok, Almaty, and Tashkent, holding exhibitions of North Korean photographs, magazines, and books, and screening North Korean films in large cinemas.

③ Period 1981-1990

The dormant exchange visits between the two sides resumed intensively in the mid-to-late 1980s. Based on search results, there were a total of 18 exchange performances or cooperation cases. Among them, a few examples include a visit by an Uzbek SSR delegation to North Korea in 1987. In response, in April 1988, a delegation of actors from the Nampo City People's Theater (Director Park Seung-il) visited to participate in the "Week of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea" event, performing the "Sonbuk Dance" and the dance drama "The Shepherd and the Maiden" at the cultural palace of the "Leninskiy Put" collective farm in Tashkent Oblast. They also performed the songs "Bright Sunlit My Country" and "Eight Scenic Views of Korea," along with various dance music pieces, by Honored Artists Lee Sun-ok, Kim Myung-sook, Roh Myung-soon, and Kim Hee-sook. In the autumn of 1988, three dancers from the Youth Art Troupe (Han Margarita, Park Raisa, Kim Larisa) visited North Korea with the "Sodrylik" Ensemble, performing "Sam-in Dance" and "Yangsan-do." In April of the following year, 1989, the Arirang Art Troupe (Koryo Theater) of the Kazakh SSR participated in the "April Spring" International Friendship Art Festival held in Pyongyang (attended by 62 countries from five continents and 77 art troupes), performing Kim So-ya's solo "Nilliri," a mixed trio, and fan dance (observed by Kim Il-sung). They also held a solo performance in Wonsan for two days. In January 1990, the last year of this period, the "Morning Glow" Music and Dance Ensemble from Taldykorgan, Kazakh SSR, visited North Korea, indicating active exchange visits between the two sides.

Conclusion

During the Soviet era, considerable exchanges and cooperation occurred in music and arts between the Soviet Union and North Korea. The cases presented above are based solely on articles from the "Leninichi" newspaper from 1948-1990. Therefore, it is possible that more examples of exchange visits in music and arts could be found by consulting other materials from that period. The main actors in the exchange performances at the time were mostly the Arirang Art Troupe of the Koryo Theater (then Joseon Theater) and small art groups from Koryo-saram active in collective farms in various regions. Following their forced relocation in 1937, these groups toured Koryo-saram collective farms in different regions, comforting and encouraging those affected by the forced relocation through traditional dances and songs, and later contributed to the inheritance of Korean national identity through traditional Koryo-saram dances and songs in Central Asia.

The exchange activities in music and arts between the Soviet Union and North Korea ultimately had a mutual influence on the development of the music and arts sectors in both countries. On the Soviet side, small art groups from various regions, including the Koryo Theater, played a practical role. North Korean music naturally had a significant impact on the development of performing arts in the Koryo-saram communities in Central Asia. For instance, Koryo-saram preferred North Korean folk songs with modernized vocal techniques, likely because they grew up learning European, Russian, and Soviet music, making them naturally more drawn to North Korean new folk songs with improved vocalization. Koryo-saram responded enthusiastically to North Korean new folk songs like "Ulsan Taryeong" and "Cowbell Sound," which are still sung with affection on holidays and celebrations today. Conversely, for about a decade after liberation, some Koryo-saram music also influenced North Korea. A prime example is the song "Joyful Day" (lyrics by Kim Hae-un, music by Kim Victor, 1945), which was popular in North Korea for a time shortly after liberation.

■ Lee Byung-joProfessor at Al-Farabi Kazakh National University. Currently a professor in the Korean Studies department and head of the Department of Oriental Studies. He graduated from Hankuk University of Foreign Studies with a degree in Russian Language and Literature and obtained a Ph.D. in Koryo-saram studies from the same university. His research primarily focuses on the history of migration and culture of Koreans (Koryo-saram) in Russia and CIS countries, and Koryo-saram society.

■ Managed and Edited by: Min Ji-yoon| EAI Director of External Cooperation

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