The Los Angeles Times says North Korea takes advantage of children to stage the massive musical tribute "Arirang" to its late leader Kim Il-sung.

The daily on Sunday said schoolchildren in the show are the "light bulbs in a human Jumbotron" and produce shimmering landscapes of mountains and rivers and raging battlefields.

Incapable of producing its own video pixels, Pyongyang is using little kids in an apparent bid to maintain its regime and earn foreign cash.

The paper said the North this year is focusing more on attracting foreign currency rather than highlighting its fighting spirit and glorifying the regime as in the past.

Foreigners must pay 360 dollars for a deluxe seat and 120 dollars for a regular one.

The North is also focusing on attracting South Koreans to the festival, with some 7,000 tourists from the South spending 1,000 dollars each for the show and lodging during the event.