An intense jam of short-wave broadcaster Free North Korea Broadcasting run by defectors, intense interception of which has been ongoing since May 18th, is also having an effect on nongovernmental broadcaster Open Radio for North Korea.
The fountainhead of the jam is of course North Korea according to the analysis of “North-East Asian Broadcasting Institute”.
Nongovernmental broadcasting toward North Korea relays useful information to North Korean citizens, but is a burdensome existence to their government authorities. Thus, North Korean citizens’ rights to choose “clandestine” channels have been decreasing by one or two. Such time requires urgent measures.
Currently, radio broadcast for North Korean people aired from South Korea are KBS’ Social Educational Broadcast as well as nongovernmental Free North Korea Broadcast, Open Radio for North Korea, North Korean Missions Broadcast, and others.
Nongovernmental broadcasts, with the exception of Social Educational Broadcast, run on outside support or support money but transmits hours of daily broadcast. However, the connection is not on the good side, due to the fact that it is aired over a far distance. Even the Free North Korea Broadcast, which was considered to be of good quality, is now in a condition where it cannot be understood at all due to the obstacles in reception. How did this happen?
One of the reasons is in KBS. The only international short-wave broadcast KBS, according to last October’s financial negotiations, significantly abridged its daily air time and frequency use. Social Educational Broadcast also discontinued its short-wave broadcast and is only doing medium wave broadcasting.
In reality, North Korea has continuously launched an interruption of broadcasting of KBS’ short-wave broadcast which was discontinued earlier this year. However, the suspension of KBS’ short-wave frequency unintentionally created a lot of room for an interceptive transmitter set on the part of North Korean authorities. As a result, the launching of interception in North Korean nongovernmental broadcast has become more prone to happen.
Of course, KBS, as a publicly owned company, cannot ignore financial issues, but from a national interest perspective, these types of transactions are being criticized as failures in fulfilling their part as a national mass medium.
When thinking about North Korean citizens who want to feed their hearts only to hear faint voices hidden in jams, KBS International Broadcast and Social Educational Broadcast should increase their airtime and frequency usage again or actively come up with other means.
If KBS cannot implement this due to various internal and external constraints, a transfer of North Korea broadcast capability to outside parties should be aggressively examined.
Must provide “soul food” to North Korean citizens
Another reason also exists. Our government’s “Sunshine Policy” gives too much importance to economic support or cultural cooperation projects towards North Korea; in other words, it stops short of providing “soul food,” settling at providing “material food.” The appeasement policy that is taking place at this time does not parallel information influx and human rights development policy towards North Korean citizens, so nongovernmental domestic North Korean broadcasting is not being launched on our land.
In the case of the Japanese government, the General Affairs Ministry allowed nongovernmental North Korean broadcast “Shiokaze (しおかぜ),” which tries to resolve the abductee victim issue, for domestic airing and it directly raised its voice of protest regarding North Korea’s broadcast interception. Within the government, the division in charge of the abduction issue also came forward to work on preparations to establish a state-operated North Korean broadcast. Such an event is not even comparable with the reality of our country.
If South Korea is the country that can understand and embrace North Korea better than anybody else, the South Korean government also has the responsibility to develop the North Korean citizen’s mentality and to develop societal issues. Even now, our government can allow all domestic nongovernmental North Korean broadcast via domestic transmission facilities and should commence providing support such as the broadcast development fund with the condition of rapid delivery of information and efforts to develop North Korea’s human rights problem.
The broadcast for North Koreans inarguably exists in South Korea. However, “an occurrence which should not exist” is unfolding right before our eyes. If nongovernmental broadcasts carrying the message of hope to North Korean citizens are to be safely transmitted, cooperation from KBS and its related organizations as well as the government’s policy of support is urgently needed. Only by jointly realizing such a movement can the role of North Korean broadcast and the meaning of its existence become clear.
