EXCLUSIVE: The secretive country's Mass Games are a sight to behold, in particular the synchronised moving images all made out of card
North Korea may have a reputation as one of the bleakest countries on earth - but there is no denying it can splash the colour if it needs to impress. P8 Led Display
As Mirrorman Russell Myers and photographer Rowan Griffiths watched on in the capital Pyongyang's vast May Day stadium, the secretive Communist nation pulled out all the stops with their Mass Games spectacle .
The parade of 300,000 people roaring a war cry, soldiers’ boots smashing into the ground as they marched and flying planes overhead made for an extraordinary piece of theatre.
And the sight of a North Korea's leader Kim Jong-Un waving to the crowd brought adoring crowds to tears.
But perhaps the most extraordinary spectacle at the annual gymnastics and artistic festival was the 14,000 children who had so expertly become a human LED screen.
Synchronised to perfection, they produced towering, moving images on coloured cards – giving a very clear message of peace, at a time of such tension between North Korea and other world powers, including the USA.
The words independence, peace and friendship were held aloft for the celebrations, which marked part of the country's 70th independence anniversary.
Moving images of Jong-Un's historic recent meeting South Korean president Moon Jae-In at the demilitarised zone were then shown on the cards, drawing rapturous applause.
The Mirror recently went inside North Korea for eight days to expose the reality of life in one of the world's most secretive and repressive countries.
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