October 10, 2008
Perry discusses delicate process of forging diplomatic connections
(Photo by Jeff Watts)
When the New York Philharmonic performed in North Korea last February, it left the audience weeping and cheering. But did it improve relations between the two nations? Former secretary of defense William Perry was in the audience as music director Lorin Maazel conducted on stage. Both spoke this week at AU’s Katzen Arts Center about cultural diplomacy, their experiences in North Korea, and whether it made a difference. The appearances were part of a growing interest in interdisciplinary programming between the music program in AU’s College of Arts and Sciences and the School of International Service. “We’re looking forward to deepening the relationship between music and international service,” says music program director Nancy Snider, who worked with Dean Louis Goodman to coordinate the event along with the National Committee on North Korea. |
From the stage of perhaps the most isolated concert hall in the world flowed notes as shocking as they were beautiful.
By the time the New York Philharmonic finished its historic performance in Pyongyang, the mostly-Korean audience had leapt to its feet and started a wave of applause that didn’t wane until the last member of the symphony exited the stage. Among the orchestra’s selections that evening were stirring renditions of the United States and North Korean national anthems.
In the audience was former U.S. secretary of defense William Perry, who has been integrally involved in diplomacy with one of the world’s last bastions of Marxism for more than 15 years. “It was a truly magical moment,” Perry said of the concert and ovation that followed it. “I have never seen anything like it.”
But did it fundamentally improve relations between the two nations? The answer is unclear. Disagreements between the countries on the elimination of North Korea’s nuclear weapons program remain intense, with the North, according to Perry, beginning to reassemble its nuclear facility two months ago.
“My impression when I left Pyongyang was that the concert was an opening which allowed the North and South, and now the North and the United States, to move forward with more positive diplomacy,” he said. “As it turned out none of us took advantage of that opening. It was only an opening; it did not create the result.”
Despite the failure of the music exchange to deliver a specific outcome, Perry remains optimistic about the future of improved relations on the Korean peninsula. “I am very disheartened by the events of the last six months, but I do believe that music can play an important role,” said Perry. His talk, which also touched on the impact of music on nineteenth- century Russia and the 1991 independence movements of the Baltic countries, held out that hope. I think the music diplomacy will continue, there will be more such concerts.”
Drive through the DMZ
Perry was in Seoul earlier this year for the inauguration of South Korea’s new president when he received a call from a North Korean official.
“To the world’s surprise, North Korea invited the New York Philharmonic to play in Pyongyang, and to my surprise, I was invited by the North Korean government to attend that performance,” he said. “The performance was set for the 26th of February, the day after the inauguration, so I had to say no.” There wasn’t time for him to take the route demanded by the North Korean government—to get from Seoul to Pyongyang you had to fly through Beijing. “To my complete surprise, the North Korean government implied that if I would come, they would give me permission to cross the DMZ, so I could travel directly by car from Seoul to Pyongyang. As far as I know, they had not done this before.”
Perry showed slides and video of the rare DMZ crossing. Once across the border, he was met by a North Korean minister in a Mercedes, who was to drive him 80 miles north to the capital city.
“There’s a four-lane divided highway but never any cars on it because there’s no reason to make that trip,” he said. “There had been six inches of snow, and I asked the foreign minister how we were going to get to Pyongyang through all that snow. He replied they had the snow removal crews working. I had this image of snow plows on the road. Not so. By the time we got to Pyongyang we had counted 3,000 Koreans with brooms and shovels cleaning the road.”
Music for a nation
The concert created an indelible memory for the live audience and countless more watching on North Korean state-run television.
“Crossing the DMZ was something I will never forget, but the concert itself was even more memorable,” Perry said. “The beautiful music was no surprise, what was a surprise was seeing on stage the American flag and hearing the American national anthem. The biggest surprise was the standing ovation the North Koreans gave the Americans.”
After his talk, Perry reaffirmed his belief in the importance of cultural diplomacy.
“I think cultural diplomacy has played an exceedingly important role in the U.S. in many different dimensions,” he told the crowd. “Our educational institutions, for example, have hundreds of thousands of people from all over the world coming to American colleges, including American military colleges and institutions. I’ve always believed that this is some of the best diplomacy we’ve had. In the case of North Korea particularly, when I visited them in ’98, I tried to advance the [cause of] North Korean students attending colleges in the United States, and having the United States help their agricultural programs. That never got off the ground, mostly because of bureaucratic delays. But I still believe if we want to have a long-term peace on the Korean peninsula, whatever we do with the nuclear weapons, we also need to be attached culturally, a little bit between the U.S., but mostly between North Korea and South Korea.”
