SEOUL, Aug. 3 (Yonhap) -- North Korea has begun its two-month-long mass gymnastics extravaganza Arirang Festival with slogans praising its leader Kim Jong-il, official media reported Tuesday.
Named after the famous Korean folk song, the festival has been held almost annually since 2002. The 80-minute show features synchronized acrobatics, gymnastics, dances and flip-card mosaic animation. Performed by about 100,000 people, it is believed to be the largest gymnastics show in the world.
The North's Korean Central Television Station said the festival kicked off Monday at the May Day Stadium in Pyongyang "with cheerful tones and slogans paying homage" to Kim, the 68-year-old leader who runs a massive cult of personality around his family.
Last year, the festival drew about 1.4 million people from home and abroad, according to the communist state's official media.
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