2020 KOREA-JAPAN FESTIVAL

[Anchor Lead]

As seen in the previous report, tensions between South Korea and Japan continue over long standing concerns but this has not stopped civic sector exchanges. Follow us to a festive scene where the two countries' unique traditional performances came together.

[Pkg]

Korea's traditional percussion performance called Samulnori signals the start of a grand festival.

[Soundbite] "2020 Korea Japan Festival! Gatekeeper, let us begin the show!"

The renowned Kim Duk Soo Samulnori troupe and the country's first civilian Korean music or gugak orchestra called the Rageum Orchestra hold a joint performance. The harmony of percussion and string instruments further enhance the festive mood. The Korea Japan Festival, in its 16th edition, first started out as a Korea Japan Friendship Year event back in 2005 to mark 40 years of normalized diplomatic relations.

[Soundbite] IZ*ONE(KOREAN-JAPANESE IDOL GIRL BAND) : "We congratulate the opening of this year's festival and hope for more to come next year. Thank you!"

Just like the joint Korean and Japanese idol girl group IZ*ONE, the festival has been a venue to expand mutual understanding through exchanges in culture and many other areas. A major portion of this year's festival shifted online due to the pandemic.

[Soundbite] "Konnichiwa. Annyeonghaseyo!"

Traditional Japanese melodies with a modern twist add excitement to the ambiance. A rarely seen colorful traditional Japanese performance also captivates the audience. The festival is put together by volunteers and has come to symbolize bilateral friendship. There's a pile of contentious bilateral issues at hand including the Dokdo islets and wartime sex slavery. But, festival participants pledged to step beyond that confrontation and continue their friendship under the slogan "let's go forward together."