NY Philharmonic to play in North Korea

NEW YORK: Striking a note of diplomacy, the New York Philharmonic plans to visit North Korea in February — the first major US cultural visit to the reclusive country.

Pyongyang’s invitation to play a concert comes as North Korea is disabling its nuclear facilities under an agreement in February, after years of six-way talks, and is beginning to see a thaw in its relations with the US.

“It would signal North Korea is beginning to come out of its shell, which everyone understands is a long-term process,” Christopher Hill, the Bush administration’s lead negotiator with North Korea, said.

“It does represent a shift in how they view us, and it’s the sort of shift that can be helpful as we go forward in nuclear weapons negotiations.”