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The New York Philharmonic performed "The Star-Spangled Banner" for North Korea's communist elite on Tuesday -- a feat of musical diplomacy aimed at improving ties with the isolated nuclear-armed country that considers the U.S. its mortal enemy.
The unprecedented concert represents a warming in relations between the nations that remain technically at war and locked in negotiations over Pyongyang's nuclear weapons programs.
The Philharmonic began the concert with "Patriotic Song" -- North Korea's national anthem -- followed by the U.S. anthem. The audience stood during both anthems and held their applause until the conclusion of the second.
The Philharmonic is the first major American cultural group to perform in the country and the largest delegation from the United States to visit North Korea. The concert marks the only time South Korean television broadcast has from Pyongyang since the 2000 summit between the South's then-President Kim Dae-jung and North Korean leader Kim Jong Il.
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Kim Dae Jung was in attendance at the inauguration Lee Myung-bak as president of Korea.
Soon afterward, a cold snow fell on the capital, where 50,000 attended the ceremony. The new President used his inaugural address to once again compare his own rags-to-riches story to that of the country he now leads.
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