On 13 Aug 2012, we attended the Arirang Festival mass dance, which involves about a 100,000 participants and up to another potential 100,000 viewers. Named after a traditional Korean love song, the show typically features thousands of gymnasts in synchronized manoeuvres and giant mosaics formed by children turning pieces of coloured paper. Versions of the mass games have been staged in 2002, 2005, 2007, 2008, and 2009. It was one of the most perfectly choreographed and executed mass performance I'd ever watched. The flashcard display was particularly impressive with changes every few seconds, which is why I included it in my videos rather than just zoom in on the field.

Held in the Mayday stadium. As the largest stadium of the country, it stands on Rungna Islet in the middle of River Taedong. It was completed on May Day, Juche 78 (1989) with 150,000 seats. It has a grassed football field, rubber running track, a basketball and a volleyball courts and four gateways extended to the ground. It also has rooms, training courts and service facilities for athletes. Around the stadium are 20 outdoor training courts Including four grassed fields, tennis courts, a roller hockey and roller figure courts. (www.korea-dpr.com)

This segment of the show reflects "Juche" philosophy which says that the Korean masses are the masters of the country's development and that the country needs a strong military posture and reliance on Korean national resources. It is the official state ideology of the DPRK

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