Tue Nov 25 03:11:07 UTC 2025: News Article:

Defector-Run Radio Station Struggles as Major Broadcasters Abandon North Korea

SEOUL – Free North Korea Radio (FNK Radio), a small, defector-run radio station based in Seoul, faces an increasingly uphill battle to broadcast uncensored foreign news into North Korea. Major government-funded broadcasters from the United States and South Korea have ceased operations this year due to funding cuts and policy shifts, leaving FNK Radio as one of the few remaining sources of outside information for North Koreans.

Lee Si-young, head of FNK Radio and a North Korean defector, expressed growing frustration with the U.S. and South Korean governments for suspending radio broadcasts. She fears that North Korean residents have been abandoned.

U.S.-funded broadcasters like Voice of America and Radio Free Asia were forced to stop their Korean-language radio broadcasts following an executive order signed by then-U.S. President Donald Trump in March, who argued the networks had a liberal bias. Meanwhile, South Korea’s government, led by President Lee Jae Myung, halted cross-border radio broadcasts in an attempt to reduce tensions with North Korea.

The decline in outside radio broadcasting towards North Korea is estimated at 85%.

Despite the setbacks, lawyer and defector Lee Young-hyeon has launched a website and mobile app to provide alternative access to outside information, initially targeting North Koreans living abroad who have access to the global internet. The aim is to provide practical information that can expose them to the benefits of freedom and rights.

However, the efforts face challenges. North Korea has tightened its laws against foreign cultural influences, imposing harsh penalties for consuming or spreading foreign media. Some also question the impact of these campaigns and their role in escalating tensions with North Korea.

FNK Radio, with its small team of North Korean defectors, remains committed to its mission, believing that even reaching a single listener in North Korea is worthwhile.

Read More