U.S. concert to be broadcast live on DPRK TV

SEOUL, Feb. 23 (Xinhua) -- A concert to be performed by a U.S. symphony orchestra in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) on Tuesday would be broadcast live on DPRK television, South Korean media said Saturday.

The concert, to be performed by the New York Philharmonic Orchestra in Pyongyang's East Pyongyang Grand Theater, is the first major cultural exchange event between the United States and the DPRK. The live broadcast is also considered an exceptional rarity in the DPRK.

Some U.S. officials expressed the hope that cultural exchange might open a door for the further development of bilateral ties with the DPRK, but Christopher Hill, the top U.S. envoy to the six-party talks, said during a visit to South Korea's capital Seoul earlier this week that it was not yet clear what effect the concert might have on bilateral development.

According to some media reports, transmission equipment for the performance would be delivered across the border between South Korea and the DPRK.

The concert will feature masterpieces by Richard Wagner, Anton Dvorak, George Gershwin and Leonard Bernstein.

On Friday, the DPRK's official media mentioned for the first time about the upcoming concert, saying preparations have been made for it.

"Now the theater is fully prepared for the successful performance of the New York Philharmonic," the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported.

The theater, located by the River Taedong which flows through Pyongyang, "has been furnished with music stands, chairs for players, lighting and other facilities to suit the features of the performance of symphony orchestra," the KCNA said.

Also on Friday, U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said she did not have a plan to visit the DPRK during her three-nation Asia trip next week.

Some media had speculated that Rice might take the opportunity for a side visit to the DPRK.

Rice will travel to Seoul, Beijing and Tokyo on Feb. 25-27, with the nuclear issue on the Korean Peninsula being the top priority of her Asian tour.