North Korea concert brings NY violinist "home"

PYONGYANG (Reuters) - The Korean War helped bring violinist Michelle Kim's father to South Korea from the North. The New York Philharmonic's unprecedented concert on Tuesday brought her back to the communist land her father fled.

The North Korean audience gave America's oldest orchestra a standing ovation after a rousing set that included Dvorak, Gershwin and a Korean folk song called "Arirang" that is popular on both sides of the divided peninsula.

"The hard part was playing the 'Arirang.' It is so close to our Korean culture. It brought tears to my eyes," Kim said.

Kim is one of eight Korean-Americans who played in the North and many had mixed emotions about coming to the reclusive country.

"My father was a little bit apprehensive at first. He experienced the war, and war is not pretty as everybody knows. He has a bitter memory of the war," Kim said.

Kim's father came to the South after North Korean troops advanced. He stayed and eventually fled to the United States. None of her family in the North came to the concert.

Kim has been too busy during the Philharmonic's stay of about 48 hours to see much of Pyongyang. She said she is sad she missed out on a chance to sample one of its famed dishes, cold noodles.

"The concert was earth-shattering. It was very touching for me in every single way, especially 'Arirang'."

(Reporting by Jon Herskovitz; Editing by Alex Richardson)

(Take a look at the Reuters Global News Blog for more on the NY Philharmonic's visit:blogs.reuters.com/global/)