{"id":2387,"date":"2011-12-19T14:13:59","date_gmt":"2011-12-19T18:13:59","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/?p=2387"},"modified":"2011-12-19T14:37:48","modified_gmt":"2011-12-19T18:37:48","slug":"kim-jong-il-is-dead-but-not-voice-of-korea","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2011\/12\/kim-jong-il-is-dead-but-not-voice-of-korea\/","title":{"rendered":"Kim Jong-il is dead, but not Voice of Korea"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>This morning, we learned that North Korean leader, Kim Jong-il<\/a>, has died<\/a>–perhaps as much as two days ago. That’s the difficulty about information coming from countries under totalitarian rule–the “facts” are whatever is decided upon by those in power. North Korea, especially, is known for being secretive and even paranoid about the free flow of information on either side of their borders.<\/p>\n

When it comes to radio, North Korea is certainly one of the most informationally-isolated<\/a> places on our planet. Hence, governments around the world spend a good deal of resources aiming broadcasts at those who live in North Korea. The hope is that in a country where the average citizen doesn’t even know what the internet is, information via radio broadcasts will penetrate the borders, allowing those within the country to hear outside voices, outside opinions, and enjoy (however briefly) the breath of freedom. That’s what I love about radio, specifically the shortwave variety; it has very little regard for national borders and, unlike the internet, listeners can’t be readily traced or tracked–or punished. This is a common theme at the SWLing Post<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Of course, radio information flows both ways, so the Voice of Korea<\/a> sends its own message to the rest of the world. VOK is–to say the least–an oddity in the international broadcasting community. Its propaganda is pure, its bias is obvious and determined, but it does allow outside listeners to read between the lines, thus getting a glimpse into the rigid, restrictive culture of this state.<\/p>\n

So, over the coming days, I challenge you to find Voice of Korea on the radio dial (see frequencies below) and listen to their biased perspective on\u00a0history\u00a0in the making. As I’ve suggested, sometimes you learn more about what’s really going on by listening between the rosy lines.\u00a0 For example, today even the VoK website makes no mention of their leader’s death (see this morning’s screen capture<\/a>); that fact, alone, tells you something about how this event has disrupted their flow of information.<\/p>\n

This is what I’ve always loved about shortwave radio and international broadcasting–you can listen to different perspectives, and draw conclusions yourself.\u00a0 It’s your own interpretation of events, thus you’re not entirely reliant upon news media for your views and ideas.\u00a0Unfortunately, this is becoming a lost art here in the modern world, where people generally find it easier to subscribe to one media outlet and often develop blind faith in the sound bites they receive–a form of self-subscribed propaganda.<\/p>\n

So that you can form your own opinions, we’ve provided the Voice of Korea’s full B11 schedule (courtesy of PCJ Media) below. See if you can catch this most interesting (and elusive) DX.\u00a0 Listen carefully…<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

VOK Pennant (Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons)<\/p><\/div>\n

Voice of Korea B11 Schedule (via PCJ Media<\/a>)<\/strong>
\n0100 GMT<\/strong> (10am local) to North East Asia on 7220kHz, 9345kHz and 9730kHz
\n0100 GMT<\/strong> (10am local) to Central and South America on 11735kHz and 15180kHz
\n0200 GMT<\/strong> (11am local) to Southeast Asia on 13650kHz and 15100kHz
\n0300 GMT<\/strong> (12pm local) to North East Asia on 7220kHz, 9345kHz and 9730kHz
\n1000 GMT<\/strong> (7pm local) to Central and South America on 11710kHz and 15180kHz
\n1000 GMT<\/strong> (7pm local) to Southeast Asia on 11735kHz and 13650kHz
\n1300 GMT<\/strong> (10pm local) to Europe on 13760kHz and 15245kHz
\n1300 GMT<\/strong> (10pm local) to North America on 9335kHz and 11710kHz
\n1500 GMT<\/strong> (12am local) to Europe on 13760kHz and 15245kHz
\n1500 GMT<\/strong> (12am local) to North America on 9335kHz and 11710kHz
\n1600 GMT<\/strong> (1am local) to Near and Middle East, North Africa on 9990kHz and 11545kHz
\n1800 GMT<\/strong> (3am local) to Europe on 13760kHz and 15245kHz
\n1900 GMT<\/strong> (4am local) to Southern Africa on 7210kHz and 11910 kHz
\n1900 GMT<\/strong> (4am local) to Near and Middle East, North Africa on 9975kHz and 11535kHz
\n2100 GMT<\/strong> (6am local) to Europe on 13760kHz and 15245kHz<\/p>\n

If you do not succeed in finding Voice of Korea on the air, check out this website which contains hours of recorded VOK broadcasts<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This morning, we learned that North Korean leader, Kim Jong-il, has died–perhaps as much as two days ago. That’s the difficulty about information coming from countries under totalitarian rule–the “facts” are whatever is decided upon by those in power. North Korea, especially, is known for being secretive and even paranoid about the free flow of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[81,3],"tags":[727,729,728],"class_list":["post-2387","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-current-events","category-news","tag-voice-of-korea","tag-voice-of-korea-schedule","tag-vok"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pn3uc-Cv","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":3137,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2012\/03\/radio-korea-is-having-problems-staying-on-the-air\/","url_meta":{"origin":2387,"position":0},"title":"Radio Korea struggles to stay on air","author":"Thomas","date":"March 29, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"A problem worth noting: Radio Korea has been having difficulty keeping their shortwave broadcasts on the air. As North Korea Tech points out, their domestic broadcasting arm is still operating: (Source: North Korea Tech via shrtwvr) Voice of Korea, the DPRK\u2019s international shortwave radio broadcaster, is still having technical problems\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Broadcasters"","block_context":{"text":"Broadcasters","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/broadcasters\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/12\/NorthKoreaMap.gif?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":51500,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2022\/01\/carlos-shortwave-art-and-recording-of-the-voice-of-korea-12-jan-2022\/","url_meta":{"origin":2387,"position":1},"title":"Carlos\u2019 Shortwave Art and Recording of the Voice of Korea (12 Jan 2022)","author":"Thomas","date":"January 12, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"Many thanks to\u00a0SWLing Post\u00a0contributor and noted political cartoonist,\u00a0Carlos Latuff, who shares yet another example\u00a0of his radio log art, this time for The Voice of Korea. Carlos notes: Voice of Korea, 9650 kHz, broadcasting in Japanese from Kujang, North Korea. Newsletter: Kim Jong Un watches test of new hypersonic ballistic missile.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Art"","block_context":{"text":"Art","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/art-2\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/Carlos-Latuff-North-Korea.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/Carlos-Latuff-North-Korea.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/Carlos-Latuff-North-Korea.jpeg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/Carlos-Latuff-North-Korea.jpeg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/Carlos-Latuff-North-Korea.jpeg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/Carlos-Latuff-North-Korea.jpeg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":6153,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2013\/04\/propaganda-from-the-source-listening-to-the-voice-of-korea-on-shortwave-radio\/","url_meta":{"origin":2387,"position":2},"title":"Propaganda from the source: Listening to the Voice of Korea on shortwave radio","author":"Thomas","date":"April 12, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"One of the countries dominating the headlines of global news lately is North Korea. As Kim Jong-un raises tensions and rattles his nuclear saber, the rest of the world is attempting to determine if this is a egotistical show of power for the benefit of all observers (as with previous\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Broadcasters"","block_context":{"text":"Broadcasters","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/broadcasters\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"FlagNorthKorea","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/04\/FlagNorthKorea1-300x215.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":54359,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2022\/10\/carlos-shortwave-art-and-recording-of-the-voice-of-korea-october-13-2022\/","url_meta":{"origin":2387,"position":3},"title":"Carlos\u2019 Shortwave Art and recording of the Voice of Korea (October 13, 2022)","author":"Thomas","date":"October 17, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"Many thanks to\u00a0SWLing Post\u00a0contributor and noted political cartoonist,\u00a0Carlos Latuff, who shares\u00a0his radio log art\u00a0of a recent Voice of Korea broadcast. Carlos notes: Voice of Korea, 11865 kHz, broadcasting in Japanese from Kujang, North Korea. Kim Jong Un guides test-firing of long-range strategic cruise missiles. Listened this morning [13 Oct 2022]\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Art"","block_context":{"text":"Art","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/art-2\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/Carlos-Latuff-North-Korea-Missile-Test-1.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/Carlos-Latuff-North-Korea-Missile-Test-1.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/Carlos-Latuff-North-Korea-Missile-Test-1.jpeg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/Carlos-Latuff-North-Korea-Missile-Test-1.jpeg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/Carlos-Latuff-North-Korea-Missile-Test-1.jpeg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/Carlos-Latuff-North-Korea-Missile-Test-1.jpeg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":9131,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2014\/03\/the-voice-of-korea-and-an-inspirational-story\/","url_meta":{"origin":2387,"position":4},"title":"The Voice of Korea and an inspirational story","author":"Thomas","date":"March 29, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"Many thanks to Frank, a contributor at the Shortwave Radio Audio Archive, for this recording of the Voice of Korea's English language service. Frank recorded VOK from his home in Europe on March 27, 2014, on 7,570 kHz, starting at 21:00 UTC, using a Kenwood R-5000 receiver and a Wellbrook\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Broadcasters"","block_context":{"text":"Broadcasters","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/broadcasters\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"FlagNorthKorea","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/04\/FlagNorthKorea1-300x215.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":62465,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2025\/03\/carlos-illustrated-radio-listening-report-and-recording-of-the-voice-of-korea-march-27-2025\/","url_meta":{"origin":2387,"position":5},"title":"Carlos\u2019 Illustrated Radio Listening Report and Recording of the Voice of Korea (March 27, 2025)","author":"Thomas","date":"March 28, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Many thanks to\u00a0SWLing Post\u00a0contributor and noted political cartoonist,\u00a0Carlos Latuff, who shares\u00a0illustrated radio listening report of a recent Voice of Korea broadcast. Carlos notes: Kim Jong Un inspects AI suicide attack drones, Voice of Korea: Part of the Voice of Korea (DPRK) Spanish-language news bulletin on the reconnaissance and attack drone\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Art"","block_context":{"text":"Art","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/art-2\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Latuff-VOK-1.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Latuff-VOK-1.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Latuff-VOK-1.jpeg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Latuff-VOK-1.jpeg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Latuff-VOK-1.jpeg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2387","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2387"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2387\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2387"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2387"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2387"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}