He acknowledged the cheers of the audience and warmly congratulated them on the lunar New Year.

The performance began with the playing of the National Anthem. Put on the stage were narration and music "The Night Seeing 2009 Out", mixed chorus "Let's Drink a Toast," female sextet and chorus "Greeting Spring on Jong Il Peak", male solo and chorus "Mt. Paektu, Cradle of Revolution," female solo "Song of Flowers", saxophone sextet "Song of Sliced Radish Kimchi," orchestra "Rich Harvest Comes to the Chongsan Plain", narration and music "Push Back the Frontiers of Science" and other colorful numbers.

The performers enthusiastically sang of the course of shining victory along which the service personnel and people of the DPRK have dashed ahead like the wind towards the high eminence of a thriving nation holding high the torch for a new great revolutionary surge lit by Kim Jong Il and powerfully demonstrated their iron faith and will to make another leap forward this year to usher in a great heyday of prosperity.

He expressed great satisfaction over the fact that they presented a splendid concert rich in its ideological contents and high in artistry as it is pervaded with the spirit of the times and national flavor. He highly appreciated their success in the performance.

Noting that the service personnel and people of the DPRK have performed eye-opening miracles and exploits since the outset of their new year's drive, he expressed the great expectation and belief that they would bring about once again great innovations and a big leap forward in all sectors and thus adorn the year 2010 as a year of great victory to go down in the history of the country.

Among the audience were Vice Marshal of the Korean People's Army Kim Yong Chun, vice-chairman of the NDC of the DPRK and minister of the People's Armed Forces, KPA General Kim Jong Gak, member of the NDC of the DPRK and first vice-director of the General Political Bureau of the KPA, KPA General Ri Yong Ho, chief of the General Staff of the KPA, and other commanding officers of the army and armed forces organs and secretaries of the C.C., the WPK Choe Thae Bok and Kim Ki Nam and department directors of the C.C., the WPK Kim Kyong Hui, Jang Song Thaek, Kim Yong Il and Kim Yang Gon and other leading officials of the C.C., the WPK and Kang Sok Ju, first vice-minister of Foreign Affairs.