Guerra di onde sulla Corea del Nord

Per una volta non sono i missili o i bombardieri a essere utilizzati per cercare di cambiare le cose e la testa della gente. Gli USA ricorrono ancora alle care, vecchie, sdrucite onde corte per trasmettere verso la Corea del Nord i discorsi dei candidati e le discussioni della campagna per le elezioni presidenziali della Corea del Sud, con l'intenzione di far capire che cosa sia un dibattito democratico. In questo caso l'emittente è Open Radio for North Korea, creata nel 2005, che dichiara una frequenza di 9930 kHz.

US-Funded Radio to Air SKorea Speeches

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — A U.S.-funded radio station was to begin broadcasting speeches and debates of leading South Korean presidential candidates into North Korea on Monday.
Open Radio for North Korea said it would transmit a recently taped speech by pro-government liberal candidate Chung Dong-young for four days starting Monday evening.
The station said in a statement that it would then broadcast a speech by front-runner Lee Myung-bak of the main opposition Grand National Park. Lee was once a regular target of North Korea, but Pyongyang has recently shifted its denunciations to independent candidate Lee Hoi-chang.
Both Lees have criticized the liberal government of outgoing President Roh Moo-hyun for being too soft on North Korea. Polls show them ahead of Chung in the Dec. 19 election.
The Seoul-based radio station also plans to air speeches of other presidential candidates to the tightly run communist state by using short-wave radio.
The radio programs "can make North Koreans have an interest in the South's election ... and North Koreans can learn how a policy decision is made in a democratic society," the broadcaster said.
Pyongyang has condemned outside radio broadcasts as part of a U.S. psychological campaign aimed at toppling the communist regime — a charge Washington denies.
North Koreans are officially banned from listening to outside news, so it was not clear how many people would be able to listen to the broadcasts. Radios in North Korea are fixed so only state programs can be heard.
Listening to radio broadcasts criticizing the regime is a severe offense that has previously landed people in the country's notorious prisons, although the North has apparently eased punishment in recent years, according to defectors.
A growing number of North Koreans, however, are listening to foreign news and communicating with the outside world, mostly using cell phones through Chinese communication networks, according to defectors who resettled in South Korea

Secondo il McClatchy Washington Bureau, sito dell'editore del Miami Herald e altri quotidiani, la ORNK, insieme a Free North Korea Radio e Radio Free Chosun, riceve 200 mila dollari annui dal National Endowment for Democracy una organizzazione non governativa no profit che viene però finanziata e supervisionata dal Congresso USA. Tra le attività del NED, dicono i detrattori, c'è anche il finanziamento sotterraneo di partiti politici esteri, con l'evidente scopo di influenzare sulle elezioni. Ma come ho avuto modo di dire in altre circostanze, almeno non si spara.
D'altro canto la Corea del Nord non si tira indietro quando si tratta di cercare di disturbare la ricezione delle onde corte, attività assai poco incoraggiata in una nazione dove ascoltare le radio straniere può portare in galera. Il Daily NK, centrale informativa Web sulle notizie riguardanti PyongYang, cita uno studio del North Asia Broadcasting Institute secondo cui della decina di stazioni americane, coreane e giapponesi che cercano di farsi sentire, molte se non tutte vengono regolarmente disturbate dai jammer.
E' guerra anche questa, intendiamoci, e può non essere condivisa sul piano politico. Ma è sempre meglio del cannone.

North Korea Jams Overseas Private Radio Broadcasts

By Namgung Min
[2007-11-05 01:39 ]

A study revealed that North Korea has been jamming private radio broadcasts from South Korea dedicated to listeners in North Korea.
Northeast Asian Broadcasting Institute, a private radio broadcasting agency, disclosed in the 10th issue of its monthly “Northeast Asian Broadcasting Study” that North Korea has been jamming most of the South Korean radio programs targeting North Korean listeners with the exception of “Global Korean Network” of Korean Broadcasting System (KBS), South Korea’s premier public broadcaster.
The list of radio stations which broadcast programs dedicated to North Korean people is as follows: Radio Free Asia, Voice of America, KBS’s Global Korean Network, Free North Korea, Open Radio for North Korea, Far East Broadcasting Company, North Korea Mission Radio, Shiokaze of Japan and Radio Free Chosun.
The Institute conducted its research by evaluating the shortwave radio reception of broadcasts dedicated to North Korean listeners from October 1st to the 7th. The study showed that almost all radio broadcasts targeting both North Korean listeners (i.e., VOA and RFA) and South Korean listeners (i.e., Central Chosun broadcasting station and Pyongyang Broadcast station) were experiencing radio signal jamming.
Global Korean Network of the Korean Broadcasting System (KBS) was the only program broadcasted without interference. It is a radio program aired on media-wave, so its frequency remains relatively unsusceptible to jamming. Moreover, recently the program greatly curtailed its contents specifically targeting North Korean people. Therefore, the institute argued that the North Korean authorities might have considered the program insignificant and so ignored it.
Since the North Korean authorities continue to jam overseas private radio broadcasts dedicated to North Korean people, it is important to come up with some countermeasures against the interference.
The number of North Koreans who listen to foreign radio broadcasts has been increasing particularly among the young people. Many defectors said that it was KBS Liberty Radio that came in sounded clearest. They said they have also heard of the radio programs VOA and Far East Broadcasting Company.
A defector, Kim Sung Chul, said, “Since 2000, the number of North Korean people who try to watch foreign films and listen to South Korean radio programs has greatly increased.” He added, “People use electrical wiring or antennas to receive a signal. It is hard for the North Korean authorities to stop the people from listening to radio even if they try to jam foreign radio broadcasts.”
Ha Tae Kyung, the head of Open Radio for North Korea said, “We need to use more radio frequencies to avoid North Korea’s jamming interference. However, many private radio stations dedicated to North Korean listeners have financial difficulties. We really need support from the South Korean government.”

Proprio dal sito del Neabi ho estratto la schedule delle trasmissioni occidentali rivolte verso l'isolata nazione asiatica:

B07 Schedule of Broadcast to the North Korea
2007. 10. 28 until 2008. 3. 29
All Times UTC, Frequency is kHz.

* Voice of America - Korean Service
1200-1500 5890, 7235, 9555
(1300-1400 648)
1900-2100 6060, 7110, 7135

* Radio Free Asia - Korean Service
1500-1700 5860, 7210, 9385
1700-1900 5860, 9385
2100-2200 5835, 7460, 9385

* Free North Korea Radio
1000-1100 9730
2030-2130 9645

* Open Radio for North Korea
1100-1200 9930(Mon-Fri)

* Radio Free Chosun
1330-1400 9950

* CMI / Voice of Wilderness
(before. North Korea Mission Radio)
1300-1330 9940
2000-2030 9795

* Furusato no Kaze / Nihon no Kaze
1600-1630 9780(Japanese)
1700-1730 9820(Korean)

* JSR Shiokaze(Sea Breeze)
1400-1430 5985
2030-2100 5965