Bigger than the Olympics

Later this year North Korea’s Arirang mass games will take place again in Pyongyang
  
  


North Korea Arirang mass games
This year's event takes place from August 4 to the end of September - beginning four days before the Olympic opening ceremony in Beijing Photograph: AFP
North Korea Arirang mass games
The event is on an even bigger scale than the Olympic opening ceremony, with 120,000 participants performing in unison Photograph: Stringer/AFP
North Korea Arirang mass games
The field of the giant May Day stadium is filled with 100,000 dancers and gymnasts Photograph: AFP
North Korea Arirang mass games
Some of the performance is based on traditional Korean culture - Arirang is a popular traditional folk song Photograph: AFP
North Korea Arirang mass games
However, the mass games are also devoted to venerating the North Korean regime, including the country's late leader, Kim Il-Sung Photograph: AFP
North Korea Arirang mass games
The pictures are formed by 20,000 people on one side of the stadium, flipping cards in unison Photograph: Jonathan Watts/Guardian
North Korea Arirang mass games
The composite card pictures often spell out propaganda messages Photograph: Getty
North Korea Arirang mass games
The militaristic theme is also reflected in some of the dancing Photograph: AFP
North Korea Arirang mass games
The card pictures can be incredibly detailed - and some are even made to move Photograph: Getty
North Korea Arirang mass games
Just over 2,000 non-Chinese foreign tourists visited North Korea last year, with the mass games a key attraction Photograph: Jonathan Watts/Guardian
North Korea Arirang mass games
Apart from the relatively high cost of tours, visitors thinking of travelling to North Korea must weigh up the moral implications, given the country's human rights record Photograph: Elizabeth Dalziel/AP
 

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