A State of Mind Page #2

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preparations for an American attack on the city.

At home, I was having fun playing with my

mother and grandmother...

...then there would be a blackout or an

air-raid practice.

On their way down to the air-raid shelter...

...the mothers and grandmothers say:

This is all because of the Americans'.

Because we're always doing things like air

raids and blackout...

...I think, just as we're taught at school...

...we have to endlessly hate the U.S. and

fight them to the end.

The General's Family

Officially, North Korea is divided into

three classes the workers, the peasants

and the intellectuals

who are seen as equals in society.

Mum, water please.

Yes, use this cup.

Hyon Sun's family is from

the workers class.

Her father is a driver for a government

ministry, her grandfather is a

construction worker.

Mother and grandmother are housewives.

Mum, I have to pack my lunch box.

Lunch? OK, let's pack it.

Take the box out from there.

This one, here?

Housing is allocated by the State.

Pyongyang is not representative of North Korea

it is the showcase capital.

For its two million residents, it's considered

a privilege to live here.

Is, it not ready yet?

She's spooning out the rice now.

State radio is piped to

every kitchen in the block.

Listeners can turn the

volume down, but not off.

The apartment has two bedrooms

one for Hyon Sun, one for her parents.

Her Grandparents sleep on the floor

where the family is eating.

Hyon Sun's television is a gift

from the State

a reward for her performance in the

Mass Games of 2002.

There is only one channel.

It broadcasts propaganda news

films and entertainment for

five hours per day.

We have so many heroes in this country...

...it's impossible to count them.

Especially the athlete Jung Song Ok, who

glorified our country.

I want to do well in rhythmic gymnastics and

become like her.

I will definitely make it happen in the future.

We prepare Mass Games every time there's

a national holiday in our country.

So at the time of our Great Leader comrade

Kim II Sung's birthday...

and the anniversary of the founding of the

Democratic People's Republic of Korea...

...or the anniversary of the founding of the

Korean Workers' Party...

...those times.

Mass Games have been performed

in North Korea since 1946.

The next Mass Games

will be the 120th.

Kim Jong Ho

Mass Games Organiser

Mass Games consists of three elements:

Firstly, gymnastics...

...then backdrop...

...finally music.

Gymnastics is the fundamental element.

Up to 80,000 gymnasts are

used in the floor display.

The participants know that the slightest individual

mistake on their part could damage

the group's performance.

They therefore surrender to the group and

in this way the performers become

ideologically prepared, thus

becoming true Communists.

The backdrop of the Mass Games, which

details North Korea's achievements and the

country's revolutionary history

is a huge mosaic, covering a whole

side of the stadium.

The Korean's declare it to be

the biggest picture in the world

Images of Kim II Sung and Kim Jong II

must be portrayed with total devotion.

The backdrop works according to signals

from the backdrop conductor who is placed on

the opposite side of the stadium.

Up to 12,000

schoolchildren are used.

Each school practices daily until

perfection is achieved.

Performed in 2002, Arirang was the

most stunning of all Mass Games.

Almost 200 million man hours were

spent preparing and performing the show.

In all, the 90 performances over a

four-month period were viewed live by four

million people.

Workers' Siren

7am

Song Yon, Song Yon...

...wake up and go to school.

It's high time.

Song Yon, quickly!

Hey, Song Yon! School! Time! Be quick!

Time!

Kim Song Yon

Please hurry up, you're going

to be late for school.

Kim Song Yon is eleven years old and

has performed in two Mass Games.

Her family is from the Intellectual Class.

Her father is a Physics Lecturer at

Kim II Sung University.

Her mother is a housewife.

She has two older sisters, one is

fifteen and a high school student

the eldest is 18, a high school graduate

who will shortly be joining the Army.

Song Yon's sisters have a room each

her parents sleep on the lounge floor.

Song Yon sleeps in a different sister's

room each night.

Song Yon!

Yes?

Come here.

What's up?

Come here quickly!

Come quickly

Why did you eat so little?

Because I didn't want to eat...

You should eat a lot and try to

make your body strong.

You shouldn't eat little, should you?

I'll eat a lot from tomorrow.

Eat more, yes?

Have you packed my gym uniform?

Yes.

I'm going.

Did you put a spoon in for my lunch?

Yes.

Hyon Sun is the best gymnast for

her age and discipline.

As group leader, she is expected to

help improve the skills of others.

When I firstjoined the Mass Games club...

...and looked at the children

practicing their movements...

...I thought Song Yon's techniques

weren't so good.

So I helped her improve techniques a bit...

...and taught her movements one by one.

After that, since we lived near each other...

...we hung around together...

...and taught movements and played together.

Isn't spinning around coming at the end?

"Two turns!"

"After doing like this..."

"Two turns!"

"And After doing that?"

After doing this...

Hyon Sun performed better than me...

...and she could do more skilful moves.

So I learned them from her

and got used to those movements.

Since we both loved Mass Games

we got on well.

Since then, we have become closer.

When I come home from school...

...I have no one to play with and it's boring.

Once I went to Song Yon's house.

Her two elder sisters were there...

...and Song Yon was there too.

So we played the accordion, the guitar

and the violin together.

Afterwards, I went home and there

was no-one there,

It was really quiet.

I hate being at our house.

I wish I had lots of brothers and sisters.

When I was young, I hated life in

groups and organisations...

...so I would run away

From the time I went up to middle school...

I started going to school in the mornings...

...and to club in the afternoons.

There were many girls at the club

much older than me.

The older girls would insult us

whenever they were in charge.

They'd say we weren't good enough.

My only thoughts were to keep running away.

I developed my skills and got put

on the list of names...

...for the Mass Games event.

This time we will do 'lifting-one

leg after turning'.

You have to hold up your body strongly...

...with the strength of your other leg...

...and stretch onto tiptoes.

Arms up.

You have to keep your arms straight

But at the moment the arms of you

who play on the top all go like this.

Make this pose straight and next...

OK, next the eye-lines when

you lift your heads.

Turn around.

After you turn around, head-kicking, here.

You're not doing this pose properly.

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