PYONGYANG, North Korea - When I first found out I was going with the New York Philharmonic to Pyongyang, North Korea, I started thinking about what kinds of stories I could do and immediately I thought of my own family.

I wouldn’t normally do a story on my family, but this seemed like the right time. My family is just one of thousands of families who suffered through during the Korean War – which ultimately divided North and South Korea. So in telling my family’s story, I am in some small way telling the story of the Korean people.

For me, this has also been a way for me to learn about my family history and that learning experience has been invaluable and often emotional. My parents were born in Seoul, South Korea, but they were forced to flee the city when the communist North invaded the South in 1950.

During the course of the war, two of my dad’s uncles disappeared. We still don’t know what happened to them, but we believe they are living in North Korea and my goal is to find them while I’m there.I’ve even written a letter to the North Korean government asking for their help.

I’ve just interviewed my 90-year-old grandmother and my parents, who traveled from the States to meet me in Seoul and help me with this story.My grandmother talked about how my family suffered during the Korean War and how she starved to feed her four children.

It was at this point that I saw my dad cry for only the second time in my life.   My grandmother also told me if I do get to meet these long lost relatives, please tell them that she’s still alive and healthy and that the rest of the family is doing well. I’m not sure how likely it is that I’ll find my relatives once I arrive in North Korea, but my mother envisions the day they can travel freely to the South for a family reunion.  In her words, it’ll take “a miracle,” to find them, but we still have hope.

You can watch my package here

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.