{"id":28599,"date":"2017-09-30T18:45:58","date_gmt":"2017-09-30T22:45:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/?p=28599"},"modified":"2017-09-30T18:45:58","modified_gmt":"2017-09-30T22:45:58","slug":"soap-operas-and-short-wave-radio-punch-through-north-koreas-armour","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2017\/09\/soap-operas-and-short-wave-radio-punch-through-north-koreas-armour\/","title":{"rendered":"&#8220;Soap operas and short-wave radio&#8221; punch through North Korea&#8217;s armour"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><a href=\"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/North-Korea-Propaganda.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-13592\" src=\"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/North-Korea-Propaganda.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"287\" srcset=\"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/North-Korea-Propaganda.jpg 500w, https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/North-Korea-Propaganda-300x172.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>(Source: <a href=\"https:\/\/globalnews.ca\/news\/3776420\/north-korea-foreign-media-propaganda\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">GlobalNews.ca<\/a>)<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>One of the BBC\u2019s newest radio stations began broadcasting across the Korean peninsula on Tuesday. And the signal was almost immediately jammed by the North Korean government, according to news reports.<\/p>\n<p>[&#8230;]But cracks are appearing in the system. InterMedia, a research firm, interviewed defectors from North Korea and found that 48 per cent of them had seen foreign DVDs and 27 per cent had listened to foreign radio, according to a 2013 report.<\/p>\n<p>Defectors aren\u2019t exactly unbiased sources or representative of the North Korean population \u2013 they\u2019re people who hated the regime enough to risk their lives fleeing it and who were able to do so \u2013 but such surveys are one of the only ways to learn about North Korean television viewing habits.<\/p>\n<p>Some defectors have reported that what they saw in foreign media influenced their decision to leave, according to Williams.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI think it\u2019s just spreading dissatisfaction, cracking the government\u2019s complete control of information which is one of the central parts of the entire system. If you start to crack away at that then you start to crack away at the system as a whole,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>[&#8230;]Although it\u2019s illegal to watch foreign media, many people watch these DVDs or USB sticks filled with movies and South Korean TV shows. South Korean soap operas are popular, said Williams, and are more seditious than romance and melodrama might seem at first glance.<\/p>\n<p>[&#8230;]Radios sold in North Korea are modified so they can only tune in to certain frequencies \u2013 government-operated North Korean stations, of course. But people do illegally \u201cjailbreak\u201d their radios, says Reporters Without Borders. They can then listen to South Korean stations near the border, or to shortwave foreign broadcasts like the BBC\u2019s and similar ones from Radio Free Asia and Voice of America.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNorth Korea does its best to stop the broadcasts coming in but it is the only way that exists at the moment to get current information into the country,\u201d said Williams.[&#8230;]<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/globalnews.ca\/news\/3776420\/north-korea-foreign-media-propaganda\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Read this full article at GlobalNews.ca.<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>(Source: GlobalNews.ca) One of the BBC\u2019s newest radio stations began broadcasting across the Korean peninsula on Tuesday. And the signal was almost immediately jammed by the North Korean government, according to news reports. [&#8230;]But cracks are appearing in the system. InterMedia, a research firm, interviewed defectors from North Korea and found that 48 per cent [&hellip;]<\/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":[3,1850,43],"tags":[104,1871,6544,474,4872,1050],"class_list":["post-28599","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news","category-propaganda","category-shortwave-radio","tag-bbc","tag-dprk","tag-globalnews-ca","tag-north-korea","tag-north-korea-jamming","tag-north-korea-shortwave"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pn3uc-7rh","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":28359,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2017\/09\/go-after-north-korea-with-sanctions-and-short-wave-radio\/","url_meta":{"origin":28599,"position":0},"title":"&#8220;Go after North Korea with sanctions and short-wave radio&#8221;","author":"Thomas","date":"September 16, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"(Source: Yahoo News) Key GOP Lawmaker:\u00a0Go after North Korea with sanctions and short-wave radio WASHINGTON \u2014 House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Ed Royce, R.-Calif., called Wednesday for tough new sanctions on Chinese banks that do business with North Korea. Royce also said the Stalinist regime in Pyongyang has been losing\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Broadcasters&quot;","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\/2016\/04\/VOA-site-B-Wallpaper-Curtain-Antenna-1-1024x640.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/VOA-site-B-Wallpaper-Curtain-Antenna-1-1024x640.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/VOA-site-B-Wallpaper-Curtain-Antenna-1-1024x640.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":14919,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2015\/09\/could-radio-be-a-catalyst-for-revolution-in-north-korea\/","url_meta":{"origin":28599,"position":1},"title":"Could radio be a catalyst for revolution in North Korea?","author":"Thomas","date":"September 22, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Richard Langley for sharing this article from The Guardian. The following is an excerpt: Kim Cheol-su, who was born in Pyongsong City and defected from North Korea last year, says that up to 30-40% of DPRK citizens now listen to pirate radio, and that\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;News&quot;","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"north_korean_propaganda","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/north_korean_propaganda.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/north_korean_propaganda.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/north_korean_propaganda.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/north_korean_propaganda.jpg?resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":28529,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2017\/09\/north-korea-aggressively-jams-new-bbc-broadcasts\/","url_meta":{"origin":28599,"position":2},"title":"North Korea &#8220;aggressively&#8221; jams new BBC broadcasts","author":"Thomas","date":"September 27, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"(Source: The Telegraph) The BBC's new Korean-language service is being \"aggressively targeted\" by North Korean jamming of its broadcasts. The service was launched on Monday and delivers a mixture of global news, sport and radio features to the whole of the Korean Peninsula for a three-hour window that starts at\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Broadcasters&quot;","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\/2016\/12\/Koreas.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/Koreas.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/Koreas.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":7357,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2013\/09\/shortwave-radio-the-secret-item-found-in-many-north-korean-homes\/","url_meta":{"origin":28599,"position":3},"title":"Shortwave radio: the secret item found in many North Korean homes","author":"Thomas","date":"September 21, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"I'm not surprised to find that North Korean\u00a0families hide shortwave radios. After all, if it's well hidden, and listened to privately, there is no way the government can monitor what is heard on shortwave, nor trace it back to the family listening. This is what separates radio from the Internet\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Broadcasters&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Broadcasters","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/broadcasters\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"de321dial","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/11\/de321dial1-300x200.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":17382,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2016\/02\/bbc-to-launch-korean-news-service-via-shortwave-in-fall-2016\/","url_meta":{"origin":28599,"position":4},"title":"BBC to launch Korean news service via shortwave in fall 2016","author":"Thomas","date":"February 15, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"(Source: KBS World Radio via Andrea Borgnino) The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) will launch a shortwave radio service to North Korea this fall. A BBC insider said the British government has given final approval to the public broadcaster's plan to broadcast news to North Korea and has even earmarked a\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Broadcasters&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Broadcasters","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/broadcasters\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"(Image source: BBC)","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/01\/BBC-Headquarters.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/01\/BBC-Headquarters.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/01\/BBC-Headquarters.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":20113,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2016\/07\/north-korean-numbers-station-in-the-press\/","url_meta":{"origin":28599,"position":5},"title":"North Korean numbers station in the press","author":"Thomas","date":"July 21, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"I've been offline and off-grid this week and have accumulated quite the backlog of email. One news item that caught the attention of a large number of readers (thanks to all for the tips--!) was North Korean spy numbers.\u00a0I'm very curious if any readers have logged and recorded this station--if\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Broadcasters&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Broadcasters","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/broadcasters\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"SWLingPost-Spy-Numbers-Station","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/09\/SWLingPost-Spy-Numbers-Station.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/09\/SWLingPost-Spy-Numbers-Station.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/09\/SWLingPost-Spy-Numbers-Station.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28599","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=28599"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28599\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=28599"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=28599"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=28599"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}