Friday, March 30, 2007

North Korea may be jamming Shiokaze

KOREA D.P.R./JAPAN/TAIWAN North Korea jams the "Shiokaze" from Yamata site.

Youmiuri Shimbun reported on March 29:

"Inventment Committee of the Missing Japanese probably related to North Korea" announced that "Shiokaze" broadcast over KDDI Yamata transmission site (2030-2100 UT 6045 kHz) was jammed. Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications presumed the jamming was from North Korea. The committee, along with the Japanese government, will ask North Korea via ITU to stop jamming. The jamming was officially detected by the national monitoring facility at Miura peninsula near Tokyo on March 28. The committee says jamming the official licensed radio broadcast is a violation of sovereignty.

According to Asian broadcasting Institute:
They may use alternative frequencies 6080,6085,6185 kHz to cope with jamming if necessary. Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications measured the jamming was from the suburbs of Pyongyang. Although the jamming is detected in Tokyo, reported reception in Seoul and western Japan is rather good. It is presumed the reception in Pyongyang is also good, instead of jamming, due to the "skip" phenomena of shortwave.

Since May 2006, North Korea has jammed "Shiokaze" broadcast from VT communications facilities. This is the second time that they jam the transmission from Yamata site. The first was in March 1993, when North Korea withdrew NPT, for a few days against Korean service of Radio Japan.
(Source: Takahito Akabayashi, Japan/HCDX)