Freedom NK

Freedom NK

In 2004 "International press freedom organisation Reports Without Borders (RSF) has expressed concern over recent death threats and harassment of a group of North Korean defectors who run the independent Internet-based radio station Free North Korea...

"Radio Free North Korea (http://www.freenk.net), the first independent radio station run by North Korean exiles, has received threats ever since its launch on 20 April. Individuals believed to be linked to South Korea’s far left, who back the North Korean regime, have regularly tried to disrupt programmes by entering the building that houses the station. Security personnel have had to intervene on several occasions...

"On 8 May, Institute of North Korean Studies Director Kim Chang-soon asked Free North Korea radio station director Kim Seong-min to leave the offices that had been loaned to the station as soon as possible. He said the decision had been taken to protect the institute’s staff. The Institute of North Korean Studies was privatised in the 1990s but continues to receive support from the South Korean secret services (NIS). According to some sources, the institute’s director acted under pressure from the authorities.

"On 19 May, Free North Korea staff left the offices and moved into a privately-rented office. Broadcasts have not been interrupted as a result of the harassment and threats.

"Kim Seong-min, a former official North Korean poet, launched the Internet radio station with about half a dozen other North Korean defectors living in Seoul."

Contact

 * Web: http://www.freenk.net)