Arirang Show Goes On Despite Flood

Due to the recent flooding, North Korea postponed the second inter-Korean summit, which was scheduled to be held in Pyongyang from August 28 to 30. However, the Arirang mass performances, which mobilize 100,000 people every year, have not been discontinued.

North Korea is continuing the performances to promote the legitimacy of its leader Kim Jong Il and the excellence of its regime.

At an interview with the North’s Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on August 21, performance director Kim Geum Ryong of the Arirang Preparation Committee said, “to watch the performance, tens of thousands of people from all walks of life, including students, workers, overseas expatriates, and foreigners are visiting the ‘5•1 Stadium’ in Neungla-do, Pyongyang every day.”

Manager Song Byong Hoon of the preparation committee also said that the performance will be carried out as scheduled. His remarks clearly stated that the Arirang show would continue despite the heavy flooding that left 300,000 homeless.

Reportedly, tourists from China, the U.S., and Europe have been watching the performance even after the flooding inundated several regions.

Last July, when North Korea had a smaller-scale flood, the Arirang performance was called off because the 5•1 Stadium was submerged. But that did not happen this year.

During a KCNA program in the afternoon of August 20, deputy director Park Jong Soon of National Agency of Environment Protection said that, “Structures and roads are destroyed along the Pyongyang-Hyangsan tourist route, the Pyongyang-Wonsan tourist route, and the Pyongyang-Gaesong highway, disrupting traffic flow.”

President Roh and the delegation planned to use the Pyongyang-Gaesong highway to visit Pyongyang for the summit meeting.

In the meantime, on the same day, North Korean officials called Seoul several times through a liaison office channel to ask for reconstruction support. They requested cement, steel, delivery equipment, vehicle fuel, and pitch, road rollers, and other heavy equipment for reconstructing roads and houses.

triplets@donga.com