Rice defangs dictator>Kim Jong-Il courts NY Philharmonic for Pyongyang gig
Aug 14 2007
It may not exactly be a major stop on the international classical music circuit, but North Korea could soon be hosting one of America's leading orchestras, officials said Tuesday.
The communist state's reclusive leader, Kim Jong-Il, recently invited the New York Philharmonic to play in the capital Pyongyang, a spokesman for the world-renowned orchestra said.
"We received an invitation to perform in Pyongyang through an independent representative on behalf of the ministry of culture of North Korea," the orchestra's director of public relations, Eric Latzky, told AFP.
He described the invitation to play in the Stalinist state, possibly the world's most closed regime, as simply "unusual" and said that the orchestra was mulling the request.
"We've just very recently received the invitation and no further action has been taken at this time. We appreciate any invitation to the New York Philharmonic and we'll consider it," Latzky said.
But he said the orchestra would only make a decision after discussions with the US government, which has labelled Pyongyang part of the so-called "Axis of Evil" over its nuclear weapons program.
In Washington, State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said he saw no reason why the trip should not go ahead.
"I think, you know, it's really up to the Philharmonic whether or not they accept such an invitation," he said.
"I'm not sure whether or not your average North Korean gets an invitation if the New York Philharmonic's in Pyongyang," he added. "I have my doubts about that."
Asked whether such a visit could help warm ties between the two foes, he said that the US government was instead focused on using six-nation talks to get North Korea to abandon its nuclear program.
Latzky hinted that if the orchestra did accept the invitation, any concert could come early next year, during a tour to east Asia.
"We have not explored the invitation any further but we will be in China in February 2008," he said.
He did not say if Kim had requested any favorite pieces.<
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