N Korea concert to be aired on TV

The orchestra was recently conducted by Gustavo Dudamel

The New York Philharmonic's historic concert in North Korea is to be screened on television.

The first US cultural event in the reclusive country's capital, Pyongyang, will be screened by US, South Korean, and European broadcasters.

The 26 February concert will feature the playing of the Star Spangled Banner and a programme of works including Gershwin's An American In Paris.

It is unclear whether North Korean leader Kim Jong-Il will attend.

Details of the TV broadcast have yet to be finalised.

Breakthrough

Orchestra president Zarin Mehta said it would show how "music can unite".

"We only play great music," he added when asked whether the choice of pieces had been politically inspired.

"We don't think about politics."

The two-day trip to North Korea is being viewed as a breakthrough in the tense relationship between the two countries.

The North Korean trip follows in the tradition of cultural visits which have played a role in US diplomacy with communist countries.

In 1973, the Philadelphia Orchestra played in Beijing shortly after President Richard Nixon's visit to China.

The Boston Symphony became the first US orchestra to perform in the Soviet Union in 1956.

President Bush recently wrote to North Korean leader Kim Jong-Il urging his country to disclose its nuclear activities.

North Korea agreed to disable its nuclear facilities following an international deal reached in February.