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[HCDX] Lawmaker urges government on AM frequency for NGO-based broadcasts
Lawmaker urges government on AM frequency for NGO-based broadcasts
http://www.dailynk.com/english/read.php?num=13451&cataId=nk02501
The allotment of an AM frequency for NGO-based radio stations targeting North Korea and shifting South Korean government strategy from economics to media are the keys to drive change in the North and ultimately bring together the two Koreas, say those who have long been at the heart of these issues.ÂA recent conference held in Seoul, hosted by the office Ha Tae Kyung,Âlawmaker and former human rights activistÂHa Tae Kyung,Âand the Association of Broadcasters for North Korea, focused heavily on amending the current broadcasting act as one of the most effective tools at our disposable to incite further grassroots change in North Korea.ÂCurrently, NGO-based entities like Unification Media Group [UMG] are unable to transmit broadcasts to North Korea via AM frequencies due to opposition from lawmakers fearing that these broadcasts further provoke Pyongyang and worsen inter-Korean relations. As a result, these outfits broadcast via shortwave on borrowed time--at a prohibitive cost--from regions in Central and Southeast Asia, which Ha urged the South Korean government to resolve.ÂHa followed by calling for an overall paradigm shift in government tactics, noting the merits and potential for change present in shifting economic-oriented tactics to media-centric ones. This, he said, would not only accelerate change in the North but also create a solid foundation on which both Koreas could unite and rebuild.âIn response to North Koreaâs attack on Cheonan (a South Korean navy corvette) in 2010, the South Korean government enacted the May 24th Measures the same year, severing almost all economic inter-Korean economic ties,â Ha said, elaborating that contrary to the South Korean governmentâs expectations, the sanctions failed to cripple the regime and drive further engagement or opening. Instead, the measures merely boosted Sino-North Korea trade and isolated the North Korean people further from the rest of the world.ÂâEconomic sanctions such as the May 24th measures inflict harm not only on the North Korean government but, more importantly, the North Korean citizens. On the other hand, transmitting radio broadcasts to the North deals a blow only to the North Korean government--not its citizens. In fact, these broadcasts are actually doing a service to the citizens by providing them with information from the outside world; the government, however, does everything it can to keep them disconnected,â Ha pointed out.ÂHa went on to point out that five years of keeping with the May 24th Measures has not pushed Pyongyang to budge; a week of broadcasts across the DMZ, on the other hand, triggered the North to propose inter-Korean dialogue. Even more telling, Ha added, is that in the latest round of talks, Pyongyang never broached the May 24 Measures--until now a common component of its negotiations -- demanding only an end to the loudspeaker broadcasts.ÂâThis shows how ineffective the economic sanctions are and how powerful radio broadcasts are,â asserted Ha, adding that Kim Jong Unâs own experience abroad as an adolescent would surely have provided him with more than sufficient knowledge of how powerful outside information can be to change citizensâ awareness and pry loose the regimeâs powerful grip of control over its population. ÂÂLee Kwang Baek, president of UMG, also voiced his agreement, noting, âBoth Koreas blasted propaganda broadcasts at each other until 2004 [after which they were bilaterally suspended] butÂKim Jong Un is undoubtedly more sensitive to the broadcasts than Kim Jong Il ever was.âÂAdded Lee, âTrying to reach out to North Korean citizens via broadcasts accessible on their personal radios would be more effective than the loudspeaker broadcasts blasted across the DMZ. Civil society organizations like UMG are trying to reach out to North Korean citizens throughout the country--a goal that will be made far more successful by transmitting on an AM frequency."ÂMoreover, Lee asserted, NGO-based broadcasts do far less to provoke Pyongyang than the loudspeaker broadcasts at the border, which have a limited radius. "We have to stop thinking about inter-Korean relationship as confined only to government-level interactions. Citizens of both Koreas can be drivers for change and improving bilateral ties," Lee stated.Â
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