Games Festival Feeds the Cult of Kim Jong-il
It has been called the greatest show on earth, an unparalleled display of propaganda and indoctrination.
The Arirang mass games, which claims 100,000 performers, is among the most colorful and contentious items on the itinerary of South Korean president Roh Moo-hyun during his stay in Pyongyang.
His attendance at last night's show had been criticised by some in Seoul as legitimizing the North's Kim dynasty. But supporters say he is only following other visitors, including ex-US secretary of state Madeleine Albright, drawn to a performance impossible in any other country.
The dancers, acrobats and soldiers are paid nothing, but they spend at least three months practicing for a series of shows at the 150,000 capacity May Day stadium.
Named after a haunting Korean love song, Arirang tells the tragic tale of the peninsula's division. With flags and slogans it lauds former president Kim Il-sung, before moving on to the current leader when thousands of children run on shouting "Kim Jong-il is our father". Despite the famines of his leadership there are images of abundant crops. Although this is the most backward economy in north-east Asia, the show proclaims an IT revolution.
A giant screen is then draped across the backdrop, displaying the bleak demilitarized zone, before the joyous climax which envisions unification and peace.
As history it is deeply flawed, but as a spectacle, there is nothing in the world - not even the Olympic opening ceremony - that can compare.
The Arirang mass games, which claims 100,000 performers, is among the most colorful and contentious items on the itinerary of South Korean president Roh Moo-hyun during his stay in Pyongyang.
His attendance at last night's show had been criticised by some in Seoul as legitimizing the North's Kim dynasty. But supporters say he is only following other visitors, including ex-US secretary of state Madeleine Albright, drawn to a performance impossible in any other country.
The dancers, acrobats and soldiers are paid nothing, but they spend at least three months practicing for a series of shows at the 150,000 capacity May Day stadium.
Named after a haunting Korean love song, Arirang tells the tragic tale of the peninsula's division. With flags and slogans it lauds former president Kim Il-sung, before moving on to the current leader when thousands of children run on shouting "Kim Jong-il is our father". Despite the famines of his leadership there are images of abundant crops. Although this is the most backward economy in north-east Asia, the show proclaims an IT revolution.
A giant screen is then draped across the backdrop, displaying the bleak demilitarized zone, before the joyous climax which envisions unification and peace.
As history it is deeply flawed, but as a spectacle, there is nothing in the world - not even the Olympic opening ceremony - that can compare.
Use the feedback form below to submit your comments.
Use the form below to email this article to your friends.
- Kim Comes Out Smiling at Korean Summit
- Bush Offers North Korea a Deal to End the World's Oldest Cold War
- China Denies Reports of North Korean Apology
- Chinese Dismiss Rumours of Kim Jong-il Apology
- Nuclear Talks Hope Fades As China Says Kim Did Not Apologise
- North Korea Backs Down After Chinese Pressure
- China Presses North Korea on Nuclear Tests
- Mystery Dictator With 22 Million in His Thrall
- Growing Fears Over North Korea Nuclear Test
- Reports of Leader's China Visit Fuel Nuclear Fears
- Nation Bound Together By State Paranoia
- Kim Jong-il Overplays His Hand
- Birthday Tributes to Kim Jong-il
- Kim Jong-il on Trip to Woo China
- China's Flunkey
- Analysis: Brinkmanship on the 38th Parallel
- Madman or master? Kim keeps the world guessing