Article: Defections grow as more N. Koreans tune in to illegal radio broadcasts

[CrankyYankee]

According to this article, North Koreans, via illegal radio broadcasts, seem to be finding that the outside world is very different than what their government has been telling them.
http://www.stripes.com/news/defections-grow-as-more-n-koreans-tune-in-to-illegal-radio-broadcasts-1.186368

[spunker88]

I'm surprised N Korea doesn't have jammers on these frequencies like China's Firedrake jammers. You can hear China's jammers in the US on shortwave.

[BMR]

Does South Korea still jam northern broadcasts?

[travisl5678]

I believe N. Korea can't jam these broadcasts because the operation of the power grid is too erratic and they have trouble keeping existing stations on the air.

[Bongwater]

Pyongyang 105.2 FM (Complete Unscoped 2 1/2 Hour Aircheck)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3P06EYW-oMM

If you had to hear radio like this every morning, you'd want to defect too.

More:

http://www.northkoreatech.org/2011/09/16/tuning-the-fm-dial-in-pyongyang/

[Bongwater]

I believe power is on and plenty available in only one place North Korea, Pyongyang.

And only in certain areas. The Kim Mausoleum (to keep their bodies well chilled), the Juche Tower (the tower's torch light must always be lit) and the residences of the North Korean military and government elite.

Everyone else gets what they can.   

This also helps when confiscating those naughty smuggled South Korean DVDs. They shut the power off and go from apartment to apartment, looking for DVDs stuck in the machines. If you're caught with one, you and your entire family are off to the prison camps.

So they're using USB sticks and MicroSD cards almost exclusively now I hear.