Voice of Korea
| Type | Radio network |
|---|---|
| Country | North Korea |
| Availability | International |
| Owner | Government of North Korea |
| Launch date | October 14, 1945 |
| Former names | Radio Pyongyang |
| Official website | http://www.vok.rep.kp/ |
| Voice of Korea | |
|---|---|
| Chosŏn'gŭl | 조선의 소리 |
| Hancha | 朝鮮의 소리 |
| McCune–Reischauer | Chosŏn-ŭi Sori |
| Revised Romanization | Joseon-ui Sori |
Voice of Korea (Korean: 조선의 소리) is the international broadcasting service of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. It broadcasts primarily information in Korean, Chinese, Spanish, German, English, French, Russian, Japanese, and Arabic. Until 2002 it was known as Radio Pyongyang.
Contents |
[edit] History
The station officially inaugurated programming on October 14, 1945, with a live broadcast of the victory speech of Kim Il Sung when he returned to Pyongyang at the end of World War II.
[edit] Broadcasting
Voice of Korea broadcasts on HF or shortwave radio frequencies, as well as on medium wave for broadcasts aimed at neighboring countries. Some frequencies broadcast are well out of the ITU allocated shortwave broadcast bands, making them less susceptible to interference but less likely to be listenable on older receivers.
In 2006 VOK started broadcasting on the same frequency as the Lincolnshire Poacher numbers station, possibly in an attempt to cover up the Poacher's broadcast into North Korea or to irritate its operators.[1]
[edit] 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. This is interspersed by the station identification and is followed by the North Korean national anthem. On or around important state anniversaries (birth anniversaries of Kim Il-sung or Kim Jong-il, or the anniversary of the founding of the DPRK), this is often followed by the "Song of General Kim Il-sung" and the "Song of General Kim Jong-il".
A news bulletin is then broadcast, with all items from the Korean Central News Agency. If there are stories related in any way to Kim Il-sung or Kim Jong-il, these will always top the bulletin. Apart from this, VOK broadcasts generally consist of stories about the lives and achievements of Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-il, praise for the Kims and the DPRK from foreigners, programmes about Korean culture, history, music, etc.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ Info about the clash. October 3, 2010.
[edit] External links
- Official website of the Voice of Korea
- Listen to Audio Recordings of The Voice of Korea
- Voice of Korea broadcasts available online
- Current schedule of VoK broadcasts on shortwave
- Some excerpts of North Korean coded messages broadcasted by Radio Pyongyang for secret agents with explanations
- Radio Pyongyang pennant
- Discussion of Voice of Korea on Korean Friendship Association's official website
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