FROM THE EDITORS March 31, 2008 Issue

SYMPHONIC DIPLOMACY—AND THE TOUCH OF CHRIST

If Someone Had Predicted some years ago that in 2008 North Korea—once labeled a part of the "Axis of Evil"—would be welcoming the New York Philharmonic Orchestra to its capital of Pyongyang, that person would probably have been dismissed as at least unrealistic, if not foolish.

But in February, that's exactly what happened. Nearly 400 people—including 80 journalists and 12 tons of equipment—were allowed to enter a country known for tight controls over its citizens and suspicious treatment of outsiders.

Michelle Kim, one of the Philharmonic's musicians, was born in South Korea to parents who had fled from the North. After attending a lavish musical program put on by the North Koreans, she told a reporter, "I didn't think for a second they were North Koreans, or South Koreans" ("North Korea Welcomes New York Philharmonic," The New York Times, February 26, 2008). In other words, something was evident that transcended mere nationality. Her words represent a larger truth than the obvious differences between the two countries. In the presence of harmony, something higher emerges—a common humanity. Something that points toward the divine intelligence and love that unite all of God's children.

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