Dr. Billy Kim is known as the “Billy Graham of Korea.” He is a high-profile cultural icon in Korea and has enjoyed close relationships with the past couple of Korean presidents – Lee Myung Bak, openly Chrisitian, threw Dr. Kim a birthday party in July 2008.
Dr. Kim is also the former director and current chairman of the Far Eastern Broadcasting Company’s (FEBC = Christian radio) Korea branch. FEBC-Korea is one of the few, if not only, independent radio broadcasters that broadcast in medium wave signals (AM radio band) into North Korea…no doubt due in large part to Dr. Kim’s influence and special relationship with LMB.
FEBC’s broadcasting in medium wave signals is a pretty big deal. According to our beloved, former part-time Special Envoy Jay Lefkowitz, the South Korean government does not allow independent radio broadcasters to transmit medium wave signals from its territory. Most radio broadcasts from South Korea are done in short wave radio. While short wave has relatively greater range, the frequency requires short wave receivers, which are not easily accessible to North Koreans. Also, North Korea jams short wave broadcasts.
Medium wave signals are harder to jam, and North Korea apparently lacks the technology. Moreover, a typical radio can receive AM frequencies. From my conversation with a FEBC rep, I learned that North Korea indeed does not jam the easy-Christian listening. He said that FEBC is strictly non-political and its only aim is to increase the flow of information and knowledge in North Korea. This leads me to the conclusion that North Korea finds FEBC broadcasts non-threatening – if the broadcasts were more political and hostile in nature then North Korea would purchase the necessary equipment to jam the signals and/or raise a stink (see balloon people).
In March 2009, Voice of America (VOA) announced that it would start transmitting to North Korea from FEBC stations in Seoul. For this to happen, VOA had to have at least tacit approval from the Blue House…and it seems that this is just a trial run: VOA is only broadcasting from 10:30PM to midnight. Still, it’s an improvement now that we’re getting AM broadcasts in.
Now…I wonder what it’ll take to actually start implementing the North Korean Human Rights Act:
SEC. 104. ACTIONS TO PROMOTE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION.
- (a) Actions- The President is authorized to take such actions as may be necessary to increase the availability of information inside North Korea by increasing the availability of sources of information not controlled by the Government of North Korea, including sources such as radios capable of receiving broadcasting from outside North Korea.
- (b) Authorization of Appropriations-
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- (1) IN GENERAL- There are authorized to be appropriated to the President $2,000,000 for each of the fiscal years 2005 through 2008 to carry out subsection (a).
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- (2) AVAILABILITY- Amounts appropriated pursuant to the authorization of appropriations under paragraph (1) are authorized to remain available until expended.
Lastly, I’m not sure what the implications of the U.S. Broadcasting Reorganization Act of 2009, sponsored by Rep. Ros-Lehtinen and co-sponsored by Rep. Ed Royce, would be regarding broadcasts into North Korea. I’m going to have to comb through this, but it seems like a measure to increase system efficiency.
