Diplomacy can come in many shapes and sizes, from the ping pong diplomacy of the 70s to China’s current panda diplomacy. These direct interactions and exchanges are a form of diplomacy that can prove more palatable and understandable to the general public. After all, the imagery of a cute panda frolicking in zoo is a more preferable image in the papers to that of hardnosed diplomatic negotiations; where such cuteness comes at a minimum. As attention spans for politics shrink, views of nations can thus increasingly be shaped by arts, images, and events.
Can North Korea capitalize on this with a new push of cultural diplomacy fronted by its musicians? Its Unhasu Orchestra are wrapping up their high-profile visit to Paris and they performed Wednesday last week. The eventwas unique in many ways; it is the first time this orchestra and most of it's members have played abroad - France is one of the few remaining EU nations not to have diplomatic relations with North Korea - and on top of this the whole performance was conducted by South Korean Chung Myung-Whun (whose mother is from Wonsan in the North).
Diplomacy can come in many shapes and sizes, from the ping pong diplomacy of the 70s to China’s current panda diplomacy. These direct interactions and exchanges are a form of diplomacy that can prove more palatable and understandable to the general public. After all, the imagery of a cute panda frolicking in zoo is a more preferable image in the papers to that of hardnosed diplomatic negotiations; where such cuteness comes at a minimum. As attention spans for politics shrink, views of nations can thus increasingly be shaped by arts, images, and events.
Can North Korea capitalize on this with a new push of cultural diplomacy fronted by its musicians? Its Unhasu Orchestra are wrapping up their high-profile visit to Paris and they performed Wednesday last week. The eventwas unique in many ways; it is the first time this orchestra and most of it's members have played abroad - France is one of the few remaining EU nations not to have diplomatic relations with North Korea - and on top of this the whole performance was conducted by South Korean Chung Myung-Whun (whose mother is from Wonsan in the North).
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David Slatter is a remote contributor and intern-editor for NKNews. He is a resident of Seoul and is active in the North Korean Human Rights movement there. He is a graduate of International History and Politics, and the current focus of his study and writing is Inter-Korean relations.