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Many celebrators filled the central square of the North Korean capital Pyongyang tonight to see the festive concert and New Year’s Eve bonfire live. This is happening in the context of restrictions imposed to prevent the outbreak of a coronavirus epidemic, Reuters reported.
State television broadcast images showing spectators at the celebrations wearing protective masks but standing together in Kim Il-sung Square. The performers of the ceremonial program, none of whom wore a face mask, sang and danced on a stage decorated with a large colorful inscription “2021.” The costumes included traditional Korean hanbok dresses.
New Year’s festive program in Pyongyang Square
Photo: AP / BTA
Huge costumed snowmen clapped to the beat as the performers sang patriotic refrains such as “Glory to General Kim Jong Un” and “I love my country more.”
The event seemed smaller than in previous years, said Colin Zuirko, a correspondent for the South Korean site NK News, which monitors North Korea.
“Definitely much smaller in scale than last year, judging by the simplest vacation schedule and the smaller crowd,” he wrote on Twitter.
North Korea has officially said that it has not recorded a single case of coronavirus, although it has studied thousands of people, closed its borders almost completely and introduced other strict anti-epidemic measures to prevent an outbreak.
Representatives from South Korea and the United States questioned the DPRK’s claim of a lack of registered cases.
In October, leader Kim Jong Un organized a military parade in Kim Il-sung Square, which was attended by thousands of soldiers without protective masks.
The DPRK is preparing for a ruling party congress this week amid growing crises caused by the coronavirus pandemic, as well as international sanctions over its nuclear program.
State media did not announce the date of the congress, but yesterday the state news agency KCTA reported that delegates had begun arriving in Pyongyang.
