Free North Korea Radio will not be deterred in reaching North Korean citizens, despite the authoritarian state’s recent creation of an anti-foreign media unit to crack down on black market radios, the station said.

According to a local news report, Pyongyang created Unit 114 in January to remove music CDs and any foreign published media circling among North Korean citizens.

This could hamper the activities of the FNKR, which relies on black market radios to send messages to citizens of the impoverished country. The North Korean regime “fixes” the radios so that they are limited to the state propaganda channels.

The FNKR is operated by North Korean defectors in Seoul and broadcasts daily news, documentaries on human rights in North Korea, and stories about defectors from 9-11 p.m., six days a week.

Black market radios will most likely be a priority for Unit 114 but an FNKR official said the illicit trade will continue to exist.

The station has also experienced software attacks on its website including attempted thefts of personal information from the staff and a number of threats.

However, the official said the station will not back down.

“We do not consider the current measures would prevent the FNKR from continuing to air to North Korea unless the station shuts down,” said Cha Seok-ju, director of the FNKR.

“The main purpose of the station is to address the issue of human rights of the North Korean people, send the message of freedom and human rights, and bring democracy to the most secluded nation in the world.”

The radio station chief said the recent crackdown on foreign media is part of North Korea’s new leader Kim Jong-un’s efforts to consolidate his power.

“As a new leadership came into power, the so-called ‘combat against capitalism to prevent yellow journalism’ has been fortified. Especially, in the name of expelling all indecent factors which might cause social unrest, we noticed that monitoring on FNKR,” Cha said.

Rather than a more difficult time to achieve its goals, the FNKR sees this moment as an opportunity to reach more North Koreans across the border.

“As Kim Jong-un ascends to power, we see a greater opportunity than ever as the North Korean public starts to think more critically about the North Korean government and society,” he said.

He added that the international community should never stop sending messages of freedom, human rights and enlightenment on the reality of the human rights violations of the North Korean regime.

By Hamish Macdonald
(hamishwilliammacdonald@gmail.com)