In pictures: North Korea's mass games propaganda show

North Korea on Sunday kicked off a huge propaganda festival, featuring enormous co-ordinated displays unlike anything else in the world.

The spectacle is called the Arirang Mass Games and will run throughout September to mark the country's 70th anniversary.

It features tens of thousands of performers.

The event is striking but the United Nations has in the past said children are forced to take part, or to help in the build-up.

• Six months' training for 10 minutes on parade

• North Korea anniversary parade shows off military strength

• Tears and joy as Korean families reunite

The games are a huge propaganda event

They are famous for the huge picture displays created by participants holding up coloured boards

The games are designed to celebrate the country and boost morale

The show is popular with foreign tourists and a source of revenue for Pyongyang

The country's Air Koryo carrier has scheduled additional flights from Beijing for the event

The last games were held in 2013

The event includes tens of thousands of participants, many of them children

The UN has said children are forced to take part, or to help in the build-up

Tickets to each event reportedly cost up to €800 ($933; £717)

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