North Korea Preps for Visit From NY Philharmonic

Pyongyang may be shedding some of its anti-US propaganda in preparation for the New York Philharmonic's arrival tomorrow, but many worry Dvorak symphonies Tuesday for the elite will prove an ineffectual olive branch during a time of nuclear negotiations. Pshaw, an assistant secretary of state tells the LA Times: "They are alleging that we have a hostile policy and that's why they need nuclear weapons. The presence of the New York Philharmonic argues against that."

The Philharmonic ensured the concert reaches the largest possible audience, included ethnic Korean musicians, and will close the program with Korean folk music. But while its director's "objective is to prove that we're not ogres," the state-controlled media refers to Americans as "warmongers." And one musician wonders how a concert will help "the people starving in the street." (More music stories.)