The Chosun (North Korea) Central Broadcast (the state-control radio broadcast), in the midst of a national misfortune due to the recent flood disaster, continues to carry out the mass-scale "Arirang performance"

Production Chief of the "Arirang National Preparatory Committee" Kim Geum Ryong said, in an interview with Chosun Central Broadcast on the 21st, said, "Every year, several tens of thousands of people of laborers at various levels and students, North Koreans residing abroad and foreigners have sought the “May 1st Stadium” to see the arts performance by Arirang and the National Gymnastics Team held every year."

Due to the torrential rain, the Pyongyang "Leunglado May 1st Stadium," the performance site, was completely submerged, so it was forecasted that the flood damage would be a setback to the performance. However, the preparatory committee's Song Byung Hoon said, "Arirang will continuously be performed," through Chosun Central Broadcast.

However, the heavy machinery and resources which will be mobilized at restoring the flood damage, in the situation lacking in manpower, employing several tens of thousands of people at the Arirang performance is abnormal, pointed out South Korean experts.

North Korea ceased performance last year when a part of Pyongyang and the May 1st Stadium was submerged last year.

Compared to the flood last year, despite the fact that the damage was even more severe last year, the foreign currency earning objective of Arirang was the most significant factor. Also, if the performance is cancelled two years in a row, the confidence in the Arirang performance can be expected to decline.

Also, the Chosun Central TV had advertised on a mass-scale that the Arirang performance had been recorded as the "world's biggest gymnastics and arts performance on the Guinness Book of Records."

In a situation where international support had to be receive due to the national misfortune, if the Arirang performance, which is essentially a type of celebration, international support can decline. In the midst of pouring the power into flood restorations, running a mass group performance for foreign currency earning is not appropriate.

North Korea, from April 14th to May 5th in 2007, held a performance in commemoration of the late Kim Il Sung's 95th birthday (April 15th) and the founding of the People's Army (April 25th). It seems to have charged into a second half of the year performance from the 1st until the middle of October.