Arirang Games
“Developing mass gymnastics is important in training children to be fully developed communist people. To be fully developed communist man, one must acquire a revolutionary ideology, the knowledge of many fields, rich cultural attainments and a healthy and strong physique. These are the basic qualities required of a man of the communist type. Mass gymnastics play an important role in training schoolchildren to acquire these communist qualities. Mass gymnastics foster particularly healthy and strong physiques, a high degree of organization, discipline and collectivism in schoolchildren, The schoolchildren, conscious that a single slip in their action may spoil their mass gymnastic performance, make every effort to subordinate all their thoughts and actions to the collective.” – Kim Jong-Il
The Arirang Mass Games, or the Grand Mass Gymnastics and Artistic Performance Arirang, is the world’s largest musical dance event with over 100,000 performers. The performance honors North Korea’s Eternal President, Kim Il Song, with a display of unity and teamwork that downplays individualism. It is the greatest show on earth.
Learn how to visit North Korea yourself with our tips, costs and highlights. Read the DPRK Travel Guide.
- Click here for the North Korea article index
- Search for articles on our Interactive Map
- See our photo collections below (return to the North Korea photo index)
