[ad_1]
HONG KONG – For experts in North Korea, virtually every detail of this authoritarian state is a window into the political priorities of its elusive leader, Kim Jong-un.
A mass gymnastics performance that ended Sunday in North Korea, after a run of nearly two months, was no exception. This year's edition was meant to highlight recent changes in Kim's stance toward China, South Korea and the United States. United States.
Jump Around Dept. What are the mass games?
This year's Mass Games gymnastics bonanza, which began in early September in the capital, Pyongyang, was the first edition of this event since 2013. Parallel to a military parade in September, it marked the 70th anniversary of the founding from North Korea.
The "Glorious Country" show featured about 17,000 schoolchildren who formed a "human pixel" backdrop with colorful cards in the stands, as well as thousands of performers on the floor of the arena, according to Andray Abrahamian, researcher at Stanford University and author. from a book about North Korea that attended the show in September.
Leaning towards peace: Missiles missing from the games
The choreography of this year's mass games showcased the Kim regime's vision of its own story, in harmony with the style of previous years. Yet he also recounts "a much more positive, forward-looking and less militaristic narrative" than the 2013 edition, Mr. Abrahamian wrote in a comment on the 38 North website.
And unlike previous shows, he added, it did not include a single image of a missile.
Nancy Snow, a North Korean expert at the Kyoto University of Foreign Studies and former head of the state department in the Clinton administration, said the lack of militaristic symbols during the This year's event may well reflect Mr. Kim's growing awareness that the resumption of missile testing by 2017 would be likely. not help the international image of his regime.
"I do not think he will soon surrender his weapons, but slowly, surely, they will introduce themselves more to the world," she said. "And that's one way they do that."
A new face: Xi Jinping represented for the first time
This year marks the first time that an interpretation of Chinese President Xi Jinping is presented at the Games. His portrayal appeared on the human scale at the show finale Sunday, when a delegation of well-known Chinese singers, actors and other artists was in the audience, according to NK News, an independent news site covering North Korea.
Notably, Mr. Xi was portrayed inside a framed circle of gold surrounded by red – the same style previously used to describe Kim's father, Kim Jong-il, and his grandfather, Kim Il-sung.
"Given the inimitable gravity of North Koreans vis-à-vis their two former leaders, qualifying Xi Jinping in this way can only be interpreted as a sign of extreme respect," Abrahamian said in an e-mail. . "He is almost respectful."
Abrahamian said he saw the move as a landmark step in North Korea's "sustained campaign of fencing repair" against China – five years after relations between neighboring countries had been strained due to of North Korea's nuclear test the purge of Jang Song-thaek, Kim Jong-un's uncle, who had a significant influence on North Korean coal exports to China.
Long live peace: Moon makes a cameo
During the performance of "Glorious Country" in September, Mr. Moon, the South Korean president, appeared alongside Mr. Kim at the games and spoke to the audience. according to the Yonhap news agency.
"I propose that we put an end completely to the last 70 years of hostility and that we take a big step of peace to become again," said Mr. Moon at a time of his speech, also broadcast live in Korea. South.
Mr. Abrahamian stated that the speech could be considered a "semi-formal" recognition of North Korea's authority by Mr. Moon, as well as the sign that Mr. Kim trusted Mr. Moon to "Deliver a message that is not too provocative and that would remain unchanged. inter-Korean relations are progressing in a way that both leaders find agreeable. "
But it was also remarkable, he added, that Mr. Moon's image was shown in a video while he stood alongside Mr. Kim – and not in the same "iconic" portrait style. reserved for Mr. Xi.
Reading between lines: a message for Trump?
Soo Kim, a former North Korean analyst at the Central Intelligence Agency, said China's public support for the Games of the Glorious Country was a sign for Washington that Beijing would likely take Pyongyang's side in the negotiations on the North's nuclear program. "come to push."
Mike Pompeo, US Secretary of State, is due to meet with representatives of North Korea in New York later this week. Ms. Kim, the analyst, said that Kim 's regime was probably trying to express its dissatisfaction with the way the nuclear talks took place. have stalled.
"It's not only frustrating for the United States and South Korea; it's also not the place where Kim Jong-un would like to be, "she added. "The US and North Korea have gone back and forth, with neither side wanting to upset denuclearization, easing sanctions, or even declaring an end to the Korean War. "
