Yongbyon is the city that is home to the country’s nuclear weapons program.
Mass games “are a priority of our nation so we think our thing is the best,” Son Jong-hyok, 29, an official with Korea International Youth and Children’s Travel Company, said when asked to compare the show to Beijing’s opening ceremonies.
North Korean tourism officials said fewer visitors than expected came so far this month, without giving figures. Kim Song of the Korean International Travel Company speculated tighter Chinese visa regulations because of security concerns during the Olympics were preventing tourists from coming to Pyongyang. Almost all visitors to the country come through China.
The Olympics opening ceremony was “very familiar” to viewers of the North’s show, said Simon Cockerell of Beijing-based Koryo Tours, which plans to bring 800 visitors to Pyongyang this year to watch the “mass games.”
While the North’s presentation is more rudimentary — and lacks the massive fireworks display seen in Beijing — Cockerell noted the high price tag for the Olympics opening that some media reports have put at US$300 million.
“In terms of results-to-resources ratio, it’s no contest bang for buck,” he said in Pyongyang. “If you gave the Arirang organizers US$300 million to put on one show, I’d imagine something vastly more impressive than the Beijing opening ceremonies.”
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