SEOUL (AFP) ― Most North Koreans were unaware of or uninterested in the New York Philharmonic's historic concert in Pyongyang last week despite the huge media attention outside the closed communist nation, a report said Monday. Under a deal with the organisers, North Korea agreed to broadcast the performance -- an extremely rare cultural exchange between the two hostile nations -- live on domestic television. The Daily NK, a Seoul-based website reporting on North Korea, quoted residents living outside the capital as saying they had not known about the event even after the orchestra's February 26 performance. The website is run partly by defectors and often quotes sources inside the North. One source said: "A majority of the citizens were not even aware that such a performance was held. It was introduced in a very brief article in the Rodong Shinmun (party newspaper) so the civilians did not show any interest." Another resident said the North's energy crisis might have made it hard to watch the performance on TV, even if people had known about it. The resident said: "The supply of (mains) electricity is insecure at 6 in the evening... even if they had known about the performance, who tries to watch TV at that time of night by using a battery?" The orchestra performed works by Dvorak and Gershwin and also the North Korean and US anthems, in the heart of a nation which US President George W. Bush once labelled part of an "axis of evil." Officials at Seoul's unification ministry, which handles relations with the North, could not estimate how many North Koreans watched the event. "On top of 1,500 selected Pyongyang citizens (at the venue), some of the citizens who own television sets could have watched the New York Philharmonic's performance," a ministry official told AFP on condition of anonymity. "North Korea did not broadcast it live on the radio." The North usually allows only a "selected" number of people loyal to the regime to attend such a special event, according to the official. A former US ambassador to Seoul who attended the concert has termed the North's decision to host it as a victory for moderates over hardliners there. "The camp of those favouring opening up and moderation has been greatly strengthened," Donald Gregg said last week.
