As propaganda goes, it's not exactly the most subtle method. More than 100,000 gymnasts and performers have been enlisted for a bombastic display of North Korean nationalism in the world's largest stadium.
The secretive state's annual mass games have begun, with the heavily-choreographed shows telling the story of the nation and paying homage to its leader Kim Jong-un and his father and grandfather, who ruled before him.
The festival, named Arirang after a popular folk song, takes place in the 150,000-capacity May Day stadium in the capital Pyongyang and is in its 11th year.
Drilled: The Arirang mass games enlist 100,000 performers for synchronised gymnastic and dance routines which tell the story of North Korea and its beloved leaders
Reverence: Students form portraits of the late leaders Kim Il-sung, left, and Kim Jong-il, right, out of cardboard during the storytelling performances
Leader: Kim Jong-Un, who took over the ruling of the nation after his father died in December 2011, waves as he arrives for a performance on the eve of the 60th anniversary of the Korean War armistice
Folk tale: The mass games are named Arirang, a popular folk song on the Korean peninsula
This year, the performance has been given a war theme ahead of the 60th anniversary of the truce which brought the Korean War between the North and its neighbours in the South to a halt.
North Korea claimed to have won the war of the peninsula, which it calls the Victorious Fatherland Liberation War, and celebrates Victory Day on July 27 each year.
Dancers and gymnasts perform synchronised moves to the sound of singers and in front of a backdrop of 20,000 people holding flipbooks of coloured card.
War games: The celebrations have been tailored to the 60th anniversary celebrations of the truce in the Korean War, but the North has always claimed victory in the conflict and celebrates Victory Day on July 27
Youth wing: Children as young as five take part in the performances and the heads of students can be seen above the pieces of card they hold to make a picture of a child in military uniform
Jumping through hoops: Any performer who dips below the required standard at any point is replaced by one of the thousands on standby
Military precision: The tightly-choreographed routines are performed in front of 150,000 people at a time at the world's biggest stadium - the May Day - in Pyongyang
The card creates mosaics celebrating Kim Jong-un, who has ruled since the end of 2011, his father Kim Jong-il and the country's founder Kim Il-sung.
The performances also represent key moments in the history of the nation.
Children as young as five take part in the festivals, which run until September.
The rigorous selection process takes up to four months and there are always thousands of performers on standby in case someone fails to make the grade.
Suited up: North Korean officials, many wearing ties in the red of the nation's flag, carry red folding chairs into the stadium ahead of a performance today
All ages: Girls in blue and white tutus and boys in red leotards and shorts perform in unison during the shows
Veterans: Military men and women sporting the country's red star on their berets and caps sit in the stands at the May Day stadium on the eve of Victory Day
Applause: A security guard and thousands of North Koreans soldiers make sure to be seen to be clapping before the start of an Arirang mass games performances
The celebrations are a rare glimpse into North Korean life, with access carefully controlled by the state.
Nick Bonner, of Koryo Tours, told the International Business Times that he expected to take 160 independent tourists from outside of North Korea to see the games as well as running group trips.
'Over 100,000 performers in the biggest socialist realism choreographed spectacular makes Broadway shows look like amateur dramatics,' he said,
The spectacle is sure to have cost a lot of money at a time when two thirds of the country's 24million population suffer from chronic food insecurity, according to the Assessment Capacities Project.
Caught napping: One man was pictured yawning during a speech by the president of the Presidum of the Supreme People's Assembly before the start of a performance
Pyrotechnics: Fireworks add further bombast to an already spectacular display as war veterans watch, arriving for the show in their uniforms
Controlled: The state's Korean Central News Agency has released pictures of the games, with a rainbow seen over a Pyongyang covered in bright flowers
Access: It is unusual for the outside world to be allowed to see North Korea as anything other than a proud and happy nation. The words read: 'independence, peace, friendship'
Summer of spectacle: The games will run until September, taking up months of the lives of the 100,000 performers involved following three to four month of rehearsals and selections
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