Voice of Korea

This article is about the North Korean broadcasting service. For the South Korea's international radio service, see KBS World Radio. For the unrelated Montreal local radio program, see CKUT-FM § Voice of Korea. For the South Korean reality show, see The Voice of Korea.

Voice of Korea (Korean: 조선의 소리) is the international broadcasting service of North Korea. It broadcasts primarily information in Chinese, Spanish, German, English, French, Russian, Japanese and Arabic.^[1] Until 2002 it was known as Radio Pyongyang. The interval signal is identical to that of Korean Central Television.

Voice of Korea

Type	International broadcasting
Country	North Korea
Ownership
Owner	Korean Central Broadcasting Committee
History
Launch date	October 14, 1945
Former names	Radio Pyongyang (1945–2002)
Coverage
Availability	International
Links
Website	www.vok.rep.kp

Voice of Korea
Chosŏn'gŭl	조선의 소리
Hancha	朝鮮의 소리
Revised Romanization	Joseonui Sori
McCune–Reischauer	Chosŏnŭi Sori

History

The origins of Voice of Korea can be traced to 1936 and the radio station JBBK. Operated by the occupying Japanese forces, JBBK broadcast a first and second program as part of Japan's radio network that covered the Korean Peninsula from Seoul.^{[citation needed]}

The station was founded in October 1945 as Radio Pyongyang,^[2] and officially inaugurated programming on the 14th, with a live broadcast of the victory speech of Kim Il Sung when he returned to Pyongyang at the end of World War II.^{[citation needed]}

The first foreign broadcast was in Chinese on 16 March 1947. Japanese-language broadcasts began in 1950, followed by English (1951), French and Russian (1963), Spanish (1965), Arabic (1970), and German (1983).^[3]

By 1960, Radio Pyongyang broadcast 159 hours of programming every week. In 1970, weekly broadcasting hours totaled 330 hours and by 1980, 597 hours. In 1990 weekly broadcasting time fell to 534 hours per week,^[4] 529 in 1994, and 364 in 1996.^[3]

In 2002, the station was renamed Voice of Korea.^[2]

Programming

Unlike most international broadcasters, Voice of Korea does not broadcast an interval signal in the minutes leading up to the start of the transmission. It instead starts broadcasting the interval signal (the first few notes of the "Song of General Kim Il Sung") on the hour.^{[citation needed]}

A typical program line-up begins with the interval signal, followed by the station announcement "This is Voice of Korea". After the announcement, the national anthem, "Song of General Kim Il Sung" and "Song of General Kim Jong Il" are played. The songs are followed by a news broadcast consisting of Korean Central News Agency items with small adjustments for the radio.^[5] If there are any items about Kim Il Sung, Kim Jong Il or Kim Jong-un, these are the top bulletins. On the station's website, Kim Jong Un's full name is used whenever he is mentioned in a story, and his name (as well as those of Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Un) appear in font larger than the rest of the story's text.

The news items are typically one day behind the news of the domestic service Korean Central Broadcasting Station. The news is followed by music and an excerpt from Kim Il Sung's memoirs With the Century. After the memoirs, there is more music and feature stories, sometimes followed by an editorial. The 57-minute broadcast concludes with frequency information and a sign-off message.^[5]

In the past, the station broadcast coded messages to North Korean spies. This practice ended with the 2000 June 15th North–South Joint Declaration.^[2] In 2006, Voice of Korea started broadcasting on 11545 kHz, the same frequency as the former Lincolnshire Poacher numbers station.^{[6][self-published source]} While it is unknown whether this was an intentional effort to interfere with Poacher's propagation or an accident, it is not unknown for Voice of Korea to unintentionally jam its own signal by transmitting programmes in different languages simultaneously on the same frequency.

Broadcasting

Voice of Korea broadcasts on HF or shortwave radio frequencies,^[2] as well as on medium wave for broadcasts aimed at neighboring countries. Some frequencies are well out of the ITU-allocated shortwave broadcast bands, making them less susceptible to interference and less likely to be listenable on older receivers.^{[citation needed]} Recently, it has increased the share of satellite broadcasting.^[2]

Most of the broadcasts are transmitted from the Kujang shortwave transmitter site (five 200 kW transmitters),^[7][3] approximately 25 km from the city of Kujang. (40°04′42.1″N 126°06′42.4″E) ^[7] A transmitter site in Kanggye (also five 200 kW) is used as well. A site in Pyongyang (10 transmitters of 200 kW) is also in use.^[3]

On occasion, Voice of Korea has missed its regular service. The interruptions have not been explained by Voice of Korea, but they are thought to be due to engineering works at the transmitter sites, faulty equipment or because of power outages. In 2012 they occurred when the country was facing one of its worst electricity shortages in years.^[8] The off-air periods also affect North Korea's own jamming signals designed to prevent reception of South Korean stations such as Echo of Hope, Voice of the People, and KBS Hanminjok Radio.^[9][10]

Voice of Korea broadcasts on the Express 103 satellite along with Korean Central Broadcasting Station (KCBS) and Korean Central Television.^{[citation needed]}

Currently (as of 11 March 2021) it seems, that several foreign language programmes are identical to each other, as exactly the same music is played at the same time, only the spoken and translated parts of the programme have been amended to match the respective program language. This could be monitored by switching from the German evening program on 6170 kHz from 19:00 UTC to the Spanish program on 7570 kHz at 19:00 UTC and back. It also seems, that the shortwave transmitter, which is used for the German language service, has a rather bad modulation. The transmitter for the Spanish programme however seems in better shape.^{[citation needed]}

Schedules

This is a list of broadcasts of Voice of Korea by language as of July 2024. All times are in UTC.^[11]

Arabic

All Arabic broadcasts are transmitted from Kujang.

Starts	Ends	Frequencies (kHz)	Target area
15:00	15:57	9890, 11645	Middle East and North Africa
17:00	17:57	9890, 11645	Middle East and North Africa

Chinese

All Chinese broadcasts are transmitted from Kujang.

Starts	Ends	Frequencies (kHz)	Target area
21:00	21:57	9875, 11635	China
22:00	23:57	9875, 11635	China
05:00	05:57	7220, 9445, 9730	Northeast Asia
08:00	08:57	7220, 9445	Northeast Asia
11:00	11:57	7220, 9445	Northeast Asia
21:00	21:57	7235, 9445	Northeast Asia
22:00	22:57	7235, 9445	Northeast Asia
13:00	13:57	11735, 13650	Southeast Asia
03:30	04:27	13650, 15105	Southeast Asia
06:30	07:27	13650, 15105	Southeast Asia

English

All English broadcasts are transmitted from Kujang.

Starts	Ends	Frequencies (kHz)	Target area
04:00	04:57	11735, 13760, 15180	Central and South America
10:00	10:57	11710, 15180	Central and South America
13:00	13:57	13760, 15245	Europe
15:00	15:57	13760, 15245	Europe
18:00	18:57	13760, 15245	Europe
21:00	21:57	13760, 15245	Europe
16:00	16:57	9890, 11645	Middle East and Northern Africa
19:00	19:57	9875, 11635	Middle East and Northern Africa
13:00	13:57	9435, 11710	North America
15:00	15:57	9435, 11710	North America
04:00	04:57	7220, 9445, 9730	Northeast Asia
06:00	06:57	7220, 9445, 9730	Northeast Asia
19:00	19:57	7210, 11910	Southern Africa
05:00	05:57	13650, 15105	Southeast Asia
10:00	10:57	11735, 13650	Southeast Asia

French

All French broadcasts are transmitted from Kujang.

Starts	Ends	Frequencies (kHz)	Target area
06:00	06:57	11735, 13760, 15180	Central and South America
11:00	11:57	11710, 15180	Central and South America
14:00	14:57	13760, 15245	Europe
16:00	16:57	13760, 15245	Europe
20:00	20:57	13760, 15245	Europe
14:00	14:57	9435, 11710	North America
16:00	16:57	9435, 11710	North America
04:00	04:57	13650, 15105	Southeast Asia
11:00	11:57	11735, 13650	Southeast Asia
18:00	18:57	7210, 11910	Southern Africa
18:00	18:57	9875, 11635	West and Central Africa

German

All German broadcasts are transmitted from Kujang (frequency update: 03/2021, as announced on air, see also ADDX)

Starts	Ends	Frequencies (kHz)	Target area
16:00	16:57	6170, 9425	Europe
18:00	18:57	6170, 9425	Europe
19:00	19:57	6170, 9425	Europe

Japanese

All Japanese broadcasts are transmitted from Kujang, except 621 kHz and 6070 kHz broadcasts, which are transmitted from Chongjin-Ranam and Kanggye respectively.^[12]

Starts	Ends	Frequencies (kHz)	Target area
07:00	07:57	621, 9650, 11865	Japan
08:00	08:50	621, 9650, 11865	Japan
09:00	09:57	621, 6070, 9650, 11865	Japan
10:00	10:50	621, 6070, 9650, 11865	Japan
11:00	11:57	621, 6070, 9650, 11865	Japan
12:00	12:50	621, 6070, 9650, 11865	Japan
21:00	21:50	621, 9650, 11865	Japan
22:00	22:57	621, 9650, 11865	Japan
23:00	23:50	621, 9650, 11865	Japan

Russian

All Russian broadcasts are transmitted from Kujang.

Starts	Ends	Frequencies (kHz)	Target area
07:00	07:57	13760, 15245	European Russia
08:00	08:57	13760, 15245	European Russia
14:00	14:57	9425, 12015	European Russia
15:00	15:57	9425, 12015	European Russia
17:00	17:57	9425, 12015	European Russia
07:00	07:57	9875, 11735	Far Eastern Russia
08:00	08:57	9875, 11735	Far Eastern Russia

Spanish

All Spanish broadcasts are transmitted from Kujang (frequency update: 03/2021, as announced on air, see also ADDX)

Starts	Ends	Frequencies (kHz)	Target area
03:00	03:57	11735, 13760, 15180	Central and South America
05:00	05:57	11735, 13760, 15180	Central and South America
19:00	19:57	7570, 12015, 13760,	Europe
22:00	22:57	7570, 12015	Europe

See also

• Radio portal
• North Korea portal

• Propaganda in North Korea
• List of radio stations in North Korea
• Censorship in North Korea
• Media of North Korea

References

1. "Voice of Korea mid-2014 schedule". North Korea Tech. 27 March 2014. Archived from the original on 25 October 2014. Retrieved October 18, 2014.
2. Hoare, James E. (2012). "Voice of Korea". Historical Dictionary of Democratic People's Republic of Korea. London: Scarecrow Press. p. 395. ISBN 978-0-8108-7987-4. Archived from the original on 2017-11-27.
3. Wood 2000, p. 158.
4. Wood 2000, p. 20.
5. "Voice of Korea mid-2014 schedule". North Korea Tech. 27 March 2014. Archived from the original on 25 October 2014. Retrieved October 18, 2014.
6. Info about the clash Archived 2010-06-20 at the Wayback Machine. October 3, 2010.
7. Martyn Williams (April 29, 2011). "Kujang shortwave transmitter site". North Korea Tech. Archived from the original on October 25, 2014. Retrieved October 18, 2014.
8. Martyn Williams (February 24, 2012). "DPRK radio disappears". North Korea Tech. Archived from the original on October 23, 2014. Retrieved October 18, 2014.
9. Martyn Williams (July 22, 2013). "Some North Korean external radio, jamming reportedly off air". North Korea Tech. Archived from the original on October 25, 2014. Retrieved October 18, 2014.
10. Martyn Williams (March 28, 2012). "Voice of Korea still having problems staying on-air". North Korea Tech. Archived from the original on October 25, 2014. Retrieved October 18, 2014.
11. "VOK SW Broadcast Schedule and Frequencies: Requested by John Custin". Voice of Korea. 2024-07-28. Retrieved 2024-08-03.
12. "Voice of Korea". okalab.hotcom-web.com (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 2020-08-11. Retrieved 2019-08-12.

Works cited

• Wood, James (2000). History of International Broadcasting. IET. ISBN 978-0-85296-920-5.

External links

• Official website
• Some excerpts of North Korean coded messages broadcast by Radio Pyongyang for secret agents with explanations