hankyoreh

As the New York Philharmonic Orchestra prepares for its first-ever performance in Pyongyang on February 26, it appears likely that North Korea’s National Philharmonic Orchestra will perform in Britain in September. Amid recent disagreements about the denuclearization of North Korea, the international community is hoping that music will pave the way for a relaxation of relations between the North and the Western world.

Ja Seong-nam, North Korea’s ambassador to Britain, is planning to urge the British government to support the National Philharmonic Orchestra’s tour to the nation in a speech to be given in the British parliament, according to the Washington-based Radio Free Asia on February 21. RFA also reported that Keith Bennett, an adviser to a British parliamentary committee on North Korea, and Senator David Alton met with the North Korean ambassador to discuss the matter. Ambassador Ja is very enthusiastic about the possibility of the orchestra performing in Britain and the British parliament believes that the performance is a very appropriate form of cultural and personal exchange, Bennett said in the report.

In an article contributed to The Wall Street Journal on February 20, Lorin Maazel, the New York Philharmonic’s music director, expressed his hope that the performance will ease the tensions on the Korean Peninsula and bring about a permanent reconciliation. Maazel added that the arts should play a role in bringing people and cultures together, and the orchestra’s performance could have a favorable influence on the way North Korea’s perception of the United States.

During the Cold War, a U.S. ping-pong team visited China in 1971 and the Philadelphia Orchestra gave concerts in China in 1973. This kind of diplomacy led to an historic visit by former U.S. President Richard Nixon to China and the establishment of diplomatic ties between the two nations.

Voice of America, a U.S. broadcasting service, reported on February 21 that the U.S. State Department would send a diplomat to North Korea to attend the New York Philharmonic’s performance in Pyongyang. The diplomat will return after the concerts, a State Department official said.


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