American missionary-turned-human rights activist vows to raise voice for NK

American missionary-turned-human rights activist Kenneth Bae speaks during an inauguration ceremony for the Citizens’ Solidarity for ONE KOREA at the Press Center in Seoul, Feb. 4. Courtesy of Citizens’ Solidarity for ONE KOREA

American missionary-turned-human rights activist Kenneth Bae, who was once detained in North Korea for more than two years, said he will engage in a broadcasting propaganda initiative using shortwave radio to reach North Korean people.

The head of the New Korea Foundation International said in an interview with The Korea Times that he will spearhead a public fundraising campaign to establish a North Korea-focused radio service called Korea Link.

“The effort is centered on North Korean citizens rather than the Kim Jong-un regime in the North,” Bae said during the interview at the Korea Press Center in Seoul, Feb. 4.

“The target of reunification is not the North Korean regime but the North Korean people. Unlike in the past, defection has become nearly impossible. For them, reunification is the only answer.”

Bae joined 45 civic and religious organizations on the day before the interview to launch Citizens’ Solidarity for ONE KOREA, a nongovernmental organization (NGO) that opposes the Lee Jae Myung administration’s so-called “two-state framework” and seeks to lead the two Koreas to peaceful unification.

He was appointed co-head of the NGO jointly with Seo In-teck, chair of Action for Korea United.

Since Lee Jae Myung took office in June, the government has halted its broadcasting propaganda activities, including loudspeakers along the Demilitarized Zone and air-drop leaflets. The U.S. administration also cut off public funding for its North Korea broadcasting stations, such as Voice of America and Radio Free Asia.

“The reason Germany managed to reach unification was because the East German people had changed their minds,” Bae said.

“I want to make various content about why unification is necessary, not only for North Korean citizens but also for South Korean people. I believe this will also be an important source for Korea diaspora communities around the world.”

The 57-year-old South Korea-born American missionary said he is also considering bringing the Starlink system — a satellite internet system owned and operated by American aerospace company SpaceX — into North Korean soil.

“Of course, the ambition requires not only Elon Musk’s but also the U.S. government’s permission,” Bae said.

“Once (Starlink) enters, however, this will bring about a cataclysmic change in North Korea.”

Kenneth Bae, right, is taken away by a North Korean soldier after an interview at a hospital in Pyongyang, North Korea, January 2014. Yonhap

He claimed that North Korea is likely to experience a dramatic change over the next three years, considering the Kim Jong-un regime’s weakening control on its people and ever-worsening economic situation.

“North Korea has completely shut down its northern borders and coastlines. No one gets in or out now. This influences the country’s ‘jangmadang.’ It severely deteriorates North Korean citizens’ access to food and water,” Bae said.

Jangmadang refers to North Korean markets, including black markets.

With the regime’s tacit allowance, they played a large role — both formally and informally — in the North Korean economy following the 1990s famine. Since Kim Jong-un came to power, however, these bazaars have experienced severe suppression, especially after the COVID-19 pandemic, due to the regime’s efforts to strengthen its control over citizens.

In December 2012, Bae was captured by North Korea on charges of “hostile acts against the republic” and sentenced to 15 years in prison in April 2013.

He was released in November 2014 along with fellow American Matthew Todd Miller. For his release, a total of 170,000 Americans reportedly sent a petition to the Barack Obama administration, while high-profile figures, including former NBA star Dennis Rodman visited Pyongyang to ask for his release.