Mansudae Art Troupe

The Mansudae Art Troupe (Korean: 만수대예술단) is one of the DPRK's leading professional art companies, known for light-classical opera, orchestral and vocal music, and large-scale dance. It traces its origins to the Central Art Troupe formed on 27 September 1969, itself descended from the Pyongyang Art Troupe of 1946.

Over its history the troupe has built one of the largest repertoires in the country, credited with roughly 1,500 songs and more than 500 instrumental works. It is closely associated with the revolutionary opera "The Flower Girl" (1972), which it is said to have staged around 1,300 times, and with the large stage production "Song of Paradise" (1976). The company has also toured widely, giving hundreds of performances abroad.

The Mansudae Art Troupe holds a central place in the lineage of DPR Korean popular music: in 1985 its electronic music section was reorganised into the independent Pochonbo Electronic Ensemble, one of the defining pop groups of the country, and in 2009 the Samjiyon Band was established within the troupe. Its ranks have included performers honoured with state arts titles such as Merited Artiste and February 16 Art Prize laureates.