When you’re the leader of an oppressive, murderous regime, it can be tough to generate good PR.

It’s particularly tough when you’re an egomaniac, and the only other world leader who wants to talk to you is the idiot in charge of the United States.

Even then, you have to bring your own toilet.

Basically, Kim Jong Un has a tough time keeping up appearances. Luckily he has access to all of North Korea’s cash, so why give your people freedom when you can throw a massive parade instead.

If you thought the pictures of Kim Jong Un inspecting things was great, you’ll want to check out these insane photos from North Korea’s 70th anniversary as a country.

The celebration, which included a military parade, happened on Sunday.

Here’s NPR:

Crowds gathered in Pyongyang’s Kim Il Sung Square to participate in the festivities which included North Korea’s distinctive goose-stepping military march, dances, balloons, flags and some of the country’s military tanks.

Historically, North Korea has used military parades to show off their ballistic missiles (there’s a thought that won’t keep you up at night).

This year, however, the parade focused more on North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s recent economic goals. Is it weird that Kim uncharacteristically dialling back on the missiles actually makes me more nervous?

This year the celebration also marked the return of the country’s mass games, in which thousands of people perform synchronised movement pieces together. The theme for this year is “Glorius Country”.

It is literally the embodiment of socialist ideals — North Korea’s most ubiquitous slogan, seen in posters and beaming from neon signs from atop tall buildings, is “Single-minded Unity.” Pyongyang sees the performances, last held in 2013, as one of its most highly effective forms of propaganda, highlighting its social and political agenda both at home, where it will be televised repeatedly for months to come, and abroad.

Let’s just stop for a second and remember that socialism isn’t supposed to be a dictatorship. It’s people like Kim who give it a bad name.

You can enjoy some more incredible images, including some of ‘mass performances’, below:

Thousands of civilians attended the celebration with bouquets of bright plastic flowers and flags. The crowd used the bouquets to spell out words and slogans.

That’s some serious organisation. I can’t get six of my friends to commit to a dinner time, let alone coordinate a 10 000-strong floral display.

And here he is in all of his chubby maniacal dictatorness:

[source:npr]