A government official has confirmed that North Korea deleted a battle scene in its mass gymnastics performance "Arirang."

The official on Thursday quoted a South Korean who watched the gala Tuesday in Pyongyang as saying a scene of a North Korean soldier shooting an enemy combatant was dropped from the show.

The North is known to have deleted the scene after its supreme leader Kim Jong-il watched the show Sunday.

Experts say the deletion, if true, reflects Pyongyang's growing flexibility and changing perspective.