ID :
198050
Fri, 07/29/2011 - 11:28
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://oananews.org//node/198050
The shortlink copeid
N. Korea says preparations completed for Arirang Festival
SEOUL, July 29 (Yonhap) -- North Korea said Friday that it has completed preparations for a massive gymnastics extravaganza, despite recent downpours of rain that caused severe damage in the impoverished country.
Heavy rains have lashed Pyongyang and other parts of the country in recent weeks, raising concerns that the North's food situation may get worse.
Still, gymnasts were honing their skills in May Day Stadium in Pyongyang to stage the Arirang Festival, the country's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said.
The festival, named after a famous Korean folk song, has been held almost annually since 2002, when it debuted to celebrate the 90th birthday of North Korea's late founder, Kim Il-sung, the father of the country's current leader, Kim Jong-il.
The massive event is set to begin Monday and run until Sept. 9, according to the KCNA.
The festival features tens of thousands of young gymnasts performing synchronized acrobatics, dances and flip-card mosaic animation in what is believed to be the largest gymnastics show in the world.
Still, the show has been a constant subject of outside criticism as it mobilizes young children for rigid training without providing them with sufficient nutrition.
Critics also say the show is a propaganda tool to extol leader Kim Jong-il, who runs a massive cult of personality around his family.
In 2000, Kim saw a massive performance with then-U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, and its highlight was a giant mosaic displaying a soaring rocket.
Kim reportedly told Albright, "This will be our last missile," though the North test-fired ballistic missiles in 2006 and 2009.
In 2009, Kim told a visiting South Korean businesswoman that he had ordered the removal of a missile launch scene from the performance because "Americans did not like it," according to a U.S. diplomatic cable found on WikiLeaks and released in January by a New York-based blogger.
Heavy rains have lashed Pyongyang and other parts of the country in recent weeks, raising concerns that the North's food situation may get worse.
Still, gymnasts were honing their skills in May Day Stadium in Pyongyang to stage the Arirang Festival, the country's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said.
The festival, named after a famous Korean folk song, has been held almost annually since 2002, when it debuted to celebrate the 90th birthday of North Korea's late founder, Kim Il-sung, the father of the country's current leader, Kim Jong-il.
The massive event is set to begin Monday and run until Sept. 9, according to the KCNA.
The festival features tens of thousands of young gymnasts performing synchronized acrobatics, dances and flip-card mosaic animation in what is believed to be the largest gymnastics show in the world.
Still, the show has been a constant subject of outside criticism as it mobilizes young children for rigid training without providing them with sufficient nutrition.
Critics also say the show is a propaganda tool to extol leader Kim Jong-il, who runs a massive cult of personality around his family.
In 2000, Kim saw a massive performance with then-U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, and its highlight was a giant mosaic displaying a soaring rocket.
Kim reportedly told Albright, "This will be our last missile," though the North test-fired ballistic missiles in 2006 and 2009.
In 2009, Kim told a visiting South Korean businesswoman that he had ordered the removal of a missile launch scene from the performance because "Americans did not like it," according to a U.S. diplomatic cable found on WikiLeaks and released in January by a New York-based blogger.
