For the seven American-Korean musicians of the New York Philharmonic playing at a landmark Pyongyang concert tonight, the visit has brought a range of emotions, from worry and doubt to hope and pride.
"It's exciting, but I also have mixed feelings," said Lisa Kim, associate principal second violinist with the hallowed symphony orchestra making a rare diplomatic gesture in the isolated communist state of North Korea.
"It's great to be part of this, but the fact that this country was united and now is divided is sad," said Kim, who grew up in South Carolina to parents who had lived through the 1950-53 Korean war.
Speaking at a Pyongyang welcoming dinner last night, she said her family had been "a bit concerned because I would be in the spotlight. They felt a little worried, but now they feel proud like any parents.
"It was a very heartfelt experience when we touched the ground," she said, the 105-member orchestra having flown from Beijing to the North Korean capital yesterday.
Any change resulting from the concert "will not come overnight," she said, but added: "I hope that our gesture and this type of event will gradually warm things up and lead to a better future for all of us.
"We share our enthusiasm for music, we share our warmth and love for music. Music has no boundaries, it's the best way to communicate."
Jung-sun Yoo, 31, also a violinist, who moved to the United States from Seoul at age 17 to study at the Manhattan School of Music, said her father and several uncles had fought in the Korean war.
Growing up in South Korea, she said, she felt about the North that "we were in the same country, but it was separated. Of course I felt sad, but I didn't know how to approach it. We had no contact.
"I never thought I would be here. I thought they would be different people, but when I talked to them today, they were the same people, very warm-hearted. So I might bring home some warmer feelings."
She said "some people would be afraid or scared, but my family was very excited. The visit is being broadcast in South Korea and they will all be able to watch it. It's a historic moment.
"I'm very proud of myself. I never thought I would be here in my life."
Another South Korean-born violinist, Soohyun Kwon, 31, who moved to the United States in 1995, said: "So far it's been great and a very welcoming atmosphere. It's great to see the other half of my country.
"When I was young, the image of North Korea was very dark and scary. I hope the concert will open the door for more cultural exchanges."
For now though, she said, North Korea remains a different country.
"We have different ideas about things, even though we are the same people," she said. "Hopefully some day soon it will be reunited again."
On their first night in Pyongyang, the orchestra was treated to a performance of traditional music and dance.
It was devoid of politics except for the final routine called The Snow is Falling. It was reminiscent of Swan Lake except that the lead dancer in the North Korean version was playing the role of a communist revolutionary fighter.
The concert will open with the orchestra playing the national anthems of the two countries to an audience expected to be made up of top cadres and generals who dominate the tightly-run state. It is not known whether North Korean leader Kim Jong-il will attend.
The rest of the music selection for the New York Philharmonic's concert is steeped in irony.
George Gershwin's An American in Paris, the famed piece about a foreigner discovering the "the city of lights" will be played in an impoverished country which does not produce enough electricity to light its homes at night.
Antonin Dvorak's Symphony No. 9 From the New World, highlights an immigrant's discovery of America's music. It will be played to in a country that forbids most of its citizens from leaving and reportedly executes many of those caught escaping.
At night, energy-starved North Korea lit the streets of Pyongyang for the motorcade of buses carrying some 350 people from the orchestra, its entourage and media covering the event.
As the buses pulled away, a few street lights went out behind them and through the rear-view mirror, one lit sign could be seen, which read: "Crush the American imperialist aggressors".
