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N. Korea suspends 'Arirang' mass gymnastic performance
By Sohn suk-joo
SEOUL, Aug. 27 (Yonhap) -- North Korea has suspended its large-scale gymnastic and artistic performance due to damage from recent heavy rains, the country's state media reported Monday.
"It has now become hard to continue the performance as working people in different parts of the country are all out to recover from the flood damage these days," the Korean Central News Agency said. "The performance is expected to be staged again after the flood damage is cleared away."
The "Arirang" festival, named after a famous traditional Korean folk song, was held in 2002 and 2005, but was cancelled last year due to floods.
Ariranf
The first part of this year's show, which ran about 80 minutes starting at 8 p.m. every day except for Sunday, was held between mid-April and May 20. The second part started on Aug. 1 and was to last until mid-October.
Earlier this month, North Korea said it would continue the performance despite heavy floods that devastated much of the communist country.
This year's performance carries special significance for North Korea, as it celebrates the 95th anniversary of the birth of its founding leader Kim Il-sung who died of heart failure in 1994. This year also marks the 62nd anniversary of Korea's liberation from Japan's colonial rule and the founding of the North's ruling Workers' Party.
Devastating floods are believed to have destroyed 11 percent of the North's farmland, and the number of dead and missing is estimated to reach more than 300, with the homeless numbering about 300,000. An estimated 46,580 homes of 88,400 families were destroyed or damaged, according to the North's media.
ssj@yna.co.kr
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