Inside VOA’s Korean Service

Countering systematic North Korean misinformation

From Japanese occupation to the partitioning of the peninsula and the ensuing war, Korea has seen a remarkable array of changes since VOA’s Korean Service began its broadcasts in 1942. As Korea continues to change, the face of VOA’s Korean Service constantly changes with it.

Currently, the Service focuses solely on North Korea. “We say that North Korea is a very isolated country,” says Dong Hyuk Lee, chief of the Service, “but we shouldn’t think that that means North Korea doesn’t need any news and information about things happening in the international community. It’s quite the opposite.” Because North Korea is incredibly isolated, “they have more need for this kind of news and information,” says Lee, “and in that sense, I think VOA has a very critical role in educating and informing North Koreans about the world.”

VOA Korean Service Broadcasters Sungwon Baik (left), Yonho Kim (center), and Yeon Lee (right).

Due to the divergent missions of VOA’s Korean Service and North Korean authorities, the Service often finds itself at odds with reports and analyses originating in North Korea. However, the government’s attempts to jam VOA’s Korean broadcasts are only marginally effective. Lee points out that, “It takes a lot of resources – specifically a lot of electrical power – which North Korea doesn’t have a lot of.”

VOA’s Korean service also covers North Korean issues abroad. Most notably, a VOA Korean reporter investigated the lives of North Korean migrant workers in Vladivostok, Russia in 2009. This award-winning coverage uncovered that about 5,000 workers were “sent by the government to basically earn the dollars for the cash-strapped regime,” says Lee, yet the workers were “eager to seize the opportunity so that they can have a better life when they go back to their country.”

Finally, the VOA Korean Service can truly be said to shine when it comes to its regular news program. VOA Korean journalists often gain interviews with key U.S. government officials, such as Robert King, U.S. special envoy for North Korean human rights issues, who was interviewed by VOA in 2009. In the interview, King broke the news that the U.S. would offer $750,000 worth of flood aid to North Korea. According to Lee, the Service is generally “considered the most accurate news source of U.S. government policy in Korea,” adding that, “I think it’s very important for VOA to provide accurate information and news about the U.S. in order to correct the many wrongly held perceptions and views of the U.S. in North Korea.” Noting that misconceptions and misinformation can lead to improper choices, Lee concludes, “We are trying to provide accurate and balanced information to North Koreans so that they can make informed decisions and judgments.”