In August 2008, I accompanied a group of 16 students from Li Po Chun United World College in Hong Kong to North Korea (or as it is officially known, the DPRK - Democratic People’s Republic of Korea).  One highlight of the trip was attending the mass gymnastics (or mass games) display called “Prosper Our Motherland”, written to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the founding of the DPRK in 1948.  The backdrop comprises 10,000 schoolchildren holding up pages from coloured books, which they turn in a wonderfully synchronised manner. Each student is like a pixel in a giant mosaic. The mass gymnastics represent communism in its purest form, where the efforts of each individual draw greater strength because of their subjugation to the collective whole.  Click on any image to enlarge.

Other galleries of this trip can be seen here:

Gallery 1 - My Students in North Korea - 84 images

Gallery 2 - Visit to June 9th Secondary School in Pyongyang - 69 images

Gallery 4 - Mass Gymnastics - “Arirang” - 66 images

Return to the 2008 Trip Homepage and access images of previous trips by clicking HERE

Return to the DPRK Initiative Homepage and access images of previous trips by clicking HERE.