Photos: North Korea 60 years later

Photos: North Korea 60 years later —

Fireworks explode above the Pyongyang skyline on Saturday, July 27. North Korea mounted its largest military parade to mark the 60th anniversary of the armistice that ended fighting in the Korean War, displaying its long-range missiles at a ceremony presided over by leader Kim Jong Un.

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Photos: North Korea 60 years later —

Portraits of former North Korean leaders Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il are displayed on Pyongyang buildings on July 27.

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Photos: North Korea 60 years later —

A couple walks through Kim Il Sung Square after a parade in Pyongyang on July 27.

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North Korea 60 years later —

North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un waves to spectators and participants during a military parade on July 27, in Pyongang.

Wong Maye-E/AP

North Korea 60 years later —

North Korean veterans wave to Kim Jong Un during the parade on July 27.

David Guttenfelder/AP

North Korea 60 years later —

Tractors pull weapon-bearing wagons during the parade on July 27.

David Guttenfelder/AP

North Korea 60 years later —

Women participating in the parade wave as they pass Kim Jong Un on July 27.

David Guttenfelder/AP

North Korea 60 years later —

Ninety-minute performances, like this one on Friday, July 26, will be repeated throughout the festival, which runs until September 9.

Ed Jones/AFP/Getty Images

Photos: North Korea 60 years later —

A performer jumps from a catapult during an Arrirang Festival at the Rungnado May Day Stadium on July 26. Arrirang performances feature 100,000 participants in a 90-minute display of gymnastics, dance, acrobatics and dramatic performance.

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North Korea 60 years later —

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, center, applauds before the Arirang Festival at the 150,000-seat Rungrado May Day Stadium in Pyongyang on July 26.

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North Korea 60 years later —

The finale of the performance features fireworks and an intricate display on the field.

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North Korea 60 years later —

Adding to the showmanship of the performances is a backdrop created by thousands of people holding up pages from a booklet; the backdrop changes as the participants turn the pages in sequence.

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North Korea 60 years later —

The festival draws large crowds throughout its run.

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North Korea 60 years later —

Dancers perform during the festival on July 26.

Ed Jones/AFP/Getty Images

North Korea 60 years later —

Dancers with flower props create a sea of color and movement on July 26.

Ed Jones/AFP/Getty Images

North Korea 60 years later —

A woman sits next to models of military weapons at a festival for the "Kimilsungia" and "Kimjongilia" flowers, named after the country's late leaders, on Wednesday, July 24, in Pyongyang, North Korea. The exhibition was held to mark the 60th anniversary of the signing of the armistice agreement that ended the fighting on July 27, 1953.

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North Korea 60 years later —

The North Korean military band leads an international peace march at the Three Charters for National Reunification Memorial Tower in Pyongyang on July 24. This was the first war in which the United Nations played a role and the first to battle with jet aircraft.

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North Korea 60 years later —

A mosaic of the late leaders Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il is on display at an exhibition in Pyongyang on July 24.

Wong Maye-E/AP

North Korea 60 years later —

Veterans of the Korean War wave at the crowd as they leave by bus after arriving at the Pyongyang railway station Tuesday, July 23.

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North Korea 60 years later —

A North Korean soldier explains the history of the armistice agreement between North and South Korea at the truce village of Panmunjom in the demilitarized zone on Monday, July 22. The demilitarized zone separates the two Koreas and remains one of the most tense borders in the world.

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North Korea 60 years later —

Women jump through hula hoops during the opening night of the annual Arirang Festival, or "mass games," at Pyongyang's May Day Stadium on Monday, July 22.

David Guttenfelder/AP

North Korea 60 years later —

North Korean dancers perform during the Arirang Festival in Pyongyang on July 22. This year's performance was timed to debut for the 60th anniversary on July 27 and features new scenes focusing on leader Kim Jong Un's directives.

Wong Maye-E/AP

North Korea 60 years later —

At dusk, the setting sunlight is reflected on the Taedong River in Pyongyang on Sunday, July 21.

David Guttenfelder/AP

North Korea 60 years later —

Children skate around the Kim Il Sung Square on July 21 in downtown Pyongyang.

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North Korea 60 years later —

People dine in a restaurant at the Koryo hotel on July 21 in downtown Pyongyang.

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North Korea 60 years later —

People pose for photos near a display model of an octopus as they visit a dolphin show facility at an amusement park in Pyongyang on Sunday, June 23.

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North Korea 60 years later —

Men and women dance in front of the Monument to the Party Founding in Pyongyang on Wednesday, June 19. The performance celebrates the day the late North Korean leader Kim Jung Il began his work at the central committee of the communist nation's ruling Workers' Party in 1964.

Alexander F. Yuan/AP

North Korea 60 years later —

A man reads a newspaper on a public display at Puhung subway station in Pyongyang on Tuesday, June 18. Some stations are more elaborate than others and foreign visitors are usually only allowed to take one stop, from Puhung station to Yonggwang.

Alexander F. Yuan/AP

North Korea 60 years later —

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un uses a pair of binoculars to look south from the Jangjae Islet Defense Detachment near South Korea's Taeyonphyong Island on Thursday, March 7. Kim is the youngest son of Kim Jong Il and came into power after his fathers death in 2011.

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North Korea 60 years later —

A nurse comforts a baby at a nursery inside Pyongyang Maternity Hospital in Pyongyang on Wednesday, February 20.

David Guttenfelder/ap

North Korea 60 years later —

North Korean traffic officers gather in front of bronze statues of the late leaders Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il to pay their respects in Pyongyang on Saturday, February 16. North Koreans turned out to commemorate what would have been the 71st birthday of Kim, who died on December 17, 2011.

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North Korea 60 years later —

A national meeting marks the anniversary of the birth of the late leader Kim Jong II at Pyongyang Indoor Stadium on Saturday, February 16.

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