ROK naval band to attend Japanese forces' music festival

By Jun Ji-hye

A South Korean naval band will attend an annual music festival hosted by Japan’s Self-Defense Forces from Wednesday in Tokyo for a five-day run, according to the Ministry of National Defense, Monday.

This is the first time for a Korean military band to participate in the event since 2007.

The participation is in line with a recent agreement between defense chiefs to strengthen bilateral military exchanges.

The ministry said the 59-member naval band, which includes nine civilian dancers, will play “Arirang,” a Korean traditional folk song, during its performance. They will also jointly perform with bands of the United States and Japan.

The participation of the nation’s military band in the Japanese forces’ music festival was agreed upon during the bilateral meeting between Defense Minister Han Min-koo and his Japanese counterpart, Gen Nakatani, on Oct. 20 in Seoul.

However, some critics raised questions about whether it is proper for a military unit to perform in a festival hosted by Japanese forces amid ongoing controversies concerning Japan’s indication that it could conduct military operations in North Korea without the prior consent from the South.

In response, ministry spokesman Kim Min-seok said, “Participation is based on the principle of reciprocity as the two nations have attended each other’s military music festivals since 2000.”

He said that a South Korean military band attended a festival hosted by Japan in 2000, 2002 and 2007, and a Japanese military band attended a Seoul’s festival in 2000, 2002 and 2006.

Another ministry official said, “The bands of the ROK Army, Navy and Air Force take turns performing overseas, and this time it’s the Navy’s turn.”

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