BBC World Service: North Korea

(asked on 16th December 2014) - View Source

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what discussions they have had with the Chairman of the BBC and the Director General of BBC World Service about investigating ways in which BBC World Service radio transmissions might be commenced on the Korean Peninsula; and what assessment they have made of what the United Nations Commission of Inquiry into human rights violations in North Korea has described as the importance of breaking the information blockade which surrounds North Korea.


This question was answered on 31st December 2014

The World Service is editorially, managerially and operationally independent of government, which means that the Foreign and Commonwealth Office does not seek to steer operational decisions. I am aware, though, that the World Service have examined the case for a Korean language service in detail. They have concluded that it is not currently possible to provide a meaningful, impactful and cost-effective service. The BBC Trust has responsibility for setting the World Service’s budget. The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Philip Hammond), must, however, agree the objectives, priorities and targets for the World Service, as well as the languages in which the World Service is provided, on the basis of proposals made by the BBC.

The UK does not disagree with the interpretation of the UN Commission of Inquiry, paragraph 1224, which suggests more support for the work of civil society organisations to improve the human rights situation, document violations and broadcast accessible information. However, it is clear that different parties will take different roles on individual recommendations.

The UK has previously funded projects related to the documentation of violations. These projects have been implemented by civil society organisations based in South Korea. We remain open to funding similar projects in the future. We have also worked with international non-governmental organisations, as well as the Democratic People's Republic of Korea's (DPRK) Korean Federation for the Protection of the Disabled (KFPD), to improve the treatment of disabled people in the DPRK. This complements wider international efforts, like those of the US, which does support broadcasts into the DPRK.

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