North Korea held secretive national day celebrations at the Shanghai Expo yesterday, shutting out most visitors and media for a singing and dancing extravaganza that brushed over the country’s diplomatic woes.
The North is participating in the Expo for the first time and making a big push to impress China to illustrate their close bilateral ties.
However, the performances of traditional Korean folk dances and songs by heavily made-up men and women put on by the North Korean delegation were only available to view on Chinese state TV and by a handful of specially selected guests.
A brief, tersely worded statement on the Shanghai Expo’s Web site advised the activities were “not open to the public,” and asked for people’s understanding.
Chinese radio quoted an unnamed North Korean official as saying the Expo national day “would make contributions toward friendship between the countries’ peoples.”
However, visitors and foreign journalists were cordoned off some 200m from the flag-raising ceremony and could only catch a glimpse of the dignitaries and guests filing into the auditorium.
“I hope North Korea can be more like China and open up. I think North Korea should learn from China and slowly, slowly change,” said Zhao Kaicheng, 57, watching from afar.
The North restricted international media from entering its pavilion, whose theme is “Paradise of the People.” Many visitors who emerged after a four-hour wait to enter said there was little to see.
“We thought it was worth lining up for because internationally there is very little exposure to the country,” Taiwanese visitor Angel said. “But the pavilion did not have much inside.”
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