Thanks — I think — to Jay for forwarding me the link to this video clip, of some young North Korean children performing in a guitar ensemble.

There’s freaky and then … there’s that. Their performance is incredible, but seems to be no trick. They appear to be all of — what? — about five years old? They’re playing full-size guitars, obviously. Their ability is way beyond what anyone that age ought to be capable of — just in terms of digital dexterity alone. Without a doubt, they are fantastically cute.

But the first thought that occurs is: What kind of methods have been used to get these children to perform at this level? And the second thought is that they look malnourished (although, imagine how malnourished are the poor North Korean kids who aren’t sent to festivals to represent the Motherland). Their malnourishment may even be a partial explanation; i.e., they may be significantly older than they look.