N.Korea mass gymnastics show suspended after Kim's criticism

Pyongyang, June 10 (IANS) North Korea's famous mass gymnastics show has been suspended temporarily since Monday, a travel agency which includes it in its tourist packages, told Efe news, days after the country's leader, Kim Jong-un, criticized it."As of today the mass games performance will be halted and no official reasons have been given by our contacts in Pyongyang. However we are expecting the games to return again soon," a representative of China-based Young Pioneers Tours (YPT) told Efe via an e-mail. Last week, YPT and other agencies had warned of this possibility after being contacted by the authorities. Although no reasons have been given for the suspension, the announcement comes after Kim attended the premiere of this year's show, titled "The Land of the People", on June 3 and criticized the creators, North Korea's official media reported. Kim said the creators of the performance, which is held at Pyongyang's May Day Stadium had "a wrong spirit of creation and irresponsible work attitude", according to official news agency KCNA.The mass games are a lavish gymnastic display that combine music, dance and all kinds of visual effects.The show is one of the main tourist attractions during the summer, when it is usually held."The Land of the People" premiered last week and was expected to run until October.
--IANS ksk