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February 20, 2008
Posted: 1812 GMT
SEOUL, South Korea – I leave for North Korea in less than a week to cover the New York Philharmonic’s concert in Pyongyang. It is the first time an American orchestra has ever been invited to play in this communist country.North Korea is one of the most secretive societies in the world, and going there for me is a huge professional and personal accomplishment. I was born and raised in the United States, but I am of Korean descent. My parents were born in South Korea and both fled the North Korean army during the Korean War. My dad’s two uncles disappeared during the war and part of my reporting will include the search for my relatives who I believe may be living in Pyongyang. That’s the personal part of my journey. I’ll have more on that in my next posting. But first I’ll be reporting on the Philharmonic and how they feel about going to North Korea. I spoke with several members of the orchestra, including violinist Michelle Kim, whose parents were born in North Korea and who — like me — has a personal stake in this trip. Right now I’m in Seoul, South Korea — in part to interview my own family — including my 90-year old grandmother and my parents, who came all the way here from the States to help me with this story. I’m off to interview them right now, and I’ll tell you more about my family’s story later. Stay tuned. Posted by: Alina Cho, CNN New York general assignment correspondent |
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