{"id":63903,"date":"2025-09-08T12:03:03","date_gmt":"2025-09-08T16:03:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/?p=63903"},"modified":"2025-09-08T12:03:03","modified_gmt":"2025-09-08T16:03:03","slug":"kbs-world-radio-then-and-now","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2025\/09\/kbs-world-radio-then-and-now\/","title":{"rendered":"KBS World Radio \u2013 Then and Now"},"content":{"rendered":"

Many thanks to SWLing Post<\/em> contributor Dan Greenall, who writes:<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Back in the 1980\u2019s, KBS World Radio was known as Radio Korea, and they could be heard quite well at times here in eastern North America. Even with modest receiving equipment, their familiar interval signal, that included regular ID\u2019s in English and Korean, made it fairly easy to spot.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

The recording here (circa 1983)<\/a> was made in Brantford, Ontario, Canada, using a Panasonic RF-3100 portable receiver and a long wire antenna. As a bonus, this station offered a variety of colorful QSL cards to its listeners.<\/p>\nhttps:\/\/archive.org\/download\/radio-korea-1983\/Radio%20Korea%201983.m4a<\/a><\/audio>\n

Today, KBS World Radio from Seoul in the Republic of Korea continues to offer programs via shortwave in several languages including English. Transmitter power up to 250 kw is used so they should be audible in most parts of the world. \u201cSign on\u201d is strikingly similar using the same interval signal with bi-lingual ID\u2019s and opening music.<\/p>\n

They also use some of the same frequencies, including 9570 and 15575 kHz, that they have broadcast on for decades. This recording was made using a remote SDR in Hong Kong on August 14, 2025 on 15575 kHz around 1300 hours UTC.<\/p>\nhttps:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/KBS-World-Radio-via-vr2kj.proxy_.kiwisdr.com_2025-08-14T12_57_28Z_15575.00_am.mp3<\/a><\/audio>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor Dan Greenall, who writes: Back in the 1980\u2019s, KBS World Radio was known as Radio Korea, and they could be heard quite well at times here in eastern North America. Even with modest receiving equipment, their familiar interval signal, that included regular ID\u2019s in English and Korean, made it […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","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":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[3,305,746,43],"tags":[10271,4754,4094,10904,4106],"class_list":["post-63903","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news","category-nostalgia","category-recordings","category-shortwave-radio","tag-dan-greenall","tag-kbs-world-radio","tag-nostalgia","tag-radio-korea","tag-recordings"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pn3uc-gCH","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":60333,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2024\/08\/carlos-shortwave-art-and-recordings-explore-extreme-weather\/","url_meta":{"origin":63903,"position":0},"title":"Carlos\u2019 Shortwave Art and Recordings Explore Extreme Weather","author":"Thomas","date":"August 5, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"Many thanks to\u00a0SWLing Post\u00a0contributor and noted political cartoonist,\u00a0Carlos Latuff, who shares\u00a0his radio log art of recent broadcasts from the Voice of Korea, NHK, and KBS. Voice of Korea Carlos notes: Part of Voice of Korea news bulletin about floods in the DPRK: \"...Shortly ago, floods and heavy rains seriously and\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\/2024\/08\/Carlos-Latuff-VOK-KBS-NHK-Weather-1.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/Carlos-Latuff-VOK-KBS-NHK-Weather-1.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/Carlos-Latuff-VOK-KBS-NHK-Weather-1.jpeg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/Carlos-Latuff-VOK-KBS-NHK-Weather-1.jpeg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/Carlos-Latuff-VOK-KBS-NHK-Weather-1.jpeg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":61294,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2024\/12\/carlos-illustrated-radio-listening-report-and-recording-of-kbs-world-radio-december-4-2024\/","url_meta":{"origin":63903,"position":1},"title":"Carlos\u2019 Illustrated Radio Listening Report and Recording of KBS World Radio (December 4, 2024)","author":"Thomas","date":"December 5, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"Many thanks to\u00a0SWLing Post\u00a0contributor and noted political cartoonist,\u00a0Carlos Latuff, who shares\u00a0illustrated radio listening report of a recent KBS World Radio broadcast. Carlos notes: Full news bulletin (in Spanish) of KBS World Radio on South Korean president Yoon Suk-yeol martial law, listened in Porto Alegre, Brazil. https:\/\/youtu.be\/IM448zXWPvw?si=WkiWMDpgZJHdy1u9 Click here to view\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\/2024\/12\/Latuff-South-Korea-Impeachment-Marshall-Law-2.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Latuff-South-Korea-Impeachment-Marshall-Law-2.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Latuff-South-Korea-Impeachment-Marshall-Law-2.jpeg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Latuff-South-Korea-Impeachment-Marshall-Law-2.jpeg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Latuff-South-Korea-Impeachment-Marshall-Law-2.jpeg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Latuff-South-Korea-Impeachment-Marshall-Law-2.jpeg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":57475,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2023\/08\/carlos-illustrated-listening-reports-of-typhoon-khanun-from-okinawa-and-kbs\/","url_meta":{"origin":63903,"position":2},"title":"Carlos’ illustrated listening reports of Typhoon Khanun from Okinawa and KBS","author":"Thomas","date":"August 12, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"Many thanks to\u00a0SWLing Post\u00a0contributor and noted political cartoonist,\u00a0Carlos Latuff, who shares\u00a0his radio log art from two recent reports and a radiofax. Good morning, Thomas. My radio activity on August 10, 2023. Attached are two illustrated listening reports about Typhoon Khanun: one from Okinawa Fishery radio station and the other from\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\/2023\/08\/20230811_010734.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/20230811_010734.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/20230811_010734.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":63579,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2025\/08\/hcjb-quito-ecuador-then-and-now\/","url_meta":{"origin":63903,"position":3},"title":"HCJB Quito, Ecuador – Then and Now","author":"Thomas","date":"August 8, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Dan Greenall, who writes: In the 1970s, the powerful signal from radio station HCJB, the Voice of the Andes, in Quito, Ecuador, could be heard with station identifications (similar to this one circa 1971) being given between programs. I am led to believe that\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "News"","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/HCJB-1970-QSL.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/HCJB-1970-QSL.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/HCJB-1970-QSL.jpeg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/HCJB-1970-QSL.jpeg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/HCJB-1970-QSL.jpeg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":61829,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2025\/01\/dan-revisits-radio-japan-a-half-century-later\/","url_meta":{"origin":63903,"position":4},"title":"Dan Revisits Radio Japan: A Half-Century Later","author":"Thomas","date":"January 24, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor Dan Greenall, who shares: Running into an old friend Hi Thomas I was doing some random tuning on shortwave this evening using the KiwiSDR at VK2ATZ in New South Wales, Australia, when I came upon a repeating music box-like tune on 13705 kHz that\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Guest Posts"","block_context":{"text":"Guest Posts","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/guest-posts\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/Radio-Japan-QSL-Dan-Greenall-1.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/Radio-Japan-QSL-Dan-Greenall-1.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/Radio-Japan-QSL-Dan-Greenall-1.jpeg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/Radio-Japan-QSL-Dan-Greenall-1.jpeg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/Radio-Japan-QSL-Dan-Greenall-1.jpeg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":64153,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2025\/10\/a-radio-postcard-from-seoul\/","url_meta":{"origin":63903,"position":5},"title":"A Radio Postcard from Seoul","author":"Thomas","date":"October 5, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor Mark Hirst, who shares the following guest post: A Radio Postcard from Seoul by Mark Hirst I recently spent a very memorable week in Seoul, motivated to travel there by\u00a0Hallyu\u00a0or the\u00a0Korean Wave, a cultural phenomena exemplified by the TV show\u00a0Squid Game, animated movie\u00a0K-Pop Demon\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "AM"","block_context":{"text":"AM","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/am\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/kbs-apps.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/kbs-apps.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/kbs-apps.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/kbs-apps.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/63903","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=63903"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/63903\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":63911,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/63903\/revisions\/63911"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=63903"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=63903"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=63903"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}