“North Korean defectors gathered after listening to this broadcast…That’s my reward.”
Date: Nov 16, 2025
Original Link in Korean:
https://www.chosun.com/national/weekend/2024/11/16/EJ7NE5DTRNCXJMFVRQNI2VB4X4/
Born in Chagang Province, North Korea in 1962, KSM lived in Pyongyang from the age of 2 until he enlisted in the military at the age of 17. He served as a private in South Hwanghae Province for 10 years and as an officer in North Hwanghae Province for nine years. After defecting, he spent three years in China and 24 years in Yangcheon and Gangseo.
“Then, as someone who has lived in Seoul the longest, am I not truly a citizen of the Republic of Korea?” asked KSM.
Kim Seong-min (62), the President of Free North Korea Radio, who is called the godfather of the North Korean democratization movement, met on Ganghwa Island on the 8th. He was given a life sentence of “up to six months” in September and is putting his life in order here, where he can see North Korea. His last task is to leave behind a book of poetry and an autobiography, which he has always wanted to do. He takes the strongest painkiller every night and goes to bed, but he has not stopped sending “voices of freedom” to the North for two hours every day since 2004. Free North Korea Radio is 20 years old this year.
“The freedom we enjoy, it has its sweetness and bitterness, but if we close our eyes without knowing it, isn’t it too unfair? We should let our brothers and sisters in North Korea know. Those people don’t know that they are being treated like beasts. I was like that too. I can’t live well by myself. It’s something we’ve been doing to help the people in North Korea live like human beings, but they call it a democracy movement,” said KSM.
It is very rare to see North Korean defectors from Pyongyang. Living in Pyongyang itself means being privileged. His father (Kim Soon-seok), a poet who left his name in the North Korean literature history, was a professor at Kim Il Sung University, and KSM was also a captain in the People’s Army who served as a propaganda writer for the 620 Training Center propaganda unit. He was loyal to the party and the leader, but he was falsely accused and crossed the border. It is a romantic reason for crossing the line of death, saying it was not for a living, but for pride. Upon hearing it, it was the same for his 24 years in South Korea and 20 years at Free North Korea Radio. For someone who was about to end his life, KSM was easygoing, energetic, and full of laughter.
<President Trump and Kim Jong Un Will Meet Again>
Free North Korea Radio, the first private broadcasting station for North Korea created by North Korean defectors, broadcasts shortwave radio to North Korea for about two hours every day. KSM is still in contact with people inside North Korea. He talks to people in the North every Saturday and hears about what’s going on the ground. I (reporter) started by asking about current issues in North Korea.
Q. The second Trump Administration is about to begin.
A: “If a photo of a young Kim Jong Un meeting with U.S. President Trump were to be shared in North Korea, it would have a huge propaganda effect. Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il may have wanted to meet with a U.S. president, and Kim Jong Un did it three times. I wonder how they will see that now....”
Q. Would the communications between North Korea and the U.S. be reestablished?
A: “I think it’s only a matter of time. Kim Jong Un will be waiting (to meet with President Trump). Kim Jong Un knows that’s the best way to improve his image. President Trump will also think that he can control Kim Jong Un and increase his popularity. The two are like ‘magnet and iron’ that stick together.”
Q. Would there be a summit between the two Koreas?
A: “President Yoon meeting with Kim Jong Un? It’s impossible.”
Q. Former President Moon Jae-in raised his approval rating by holding a trilateral summit with North Korea and the U.S.
A: “Kim Jong Un is the enemy of the Korean people, and North Korea is the target of free unification. Sitting down with Kim Jong Un means only doing good things for Kim Jong Un. The North Korean people will think, ‘Our leader is truly great. If he wants to, he can meet the American president or the South Korean president,’ so we should not cooperate with Kim Jong Un on that.”
Q. The current administration’s approval rating has fallen below 20%. Wouldn’t this be a breakthrough?
A: “I think President Yoon’s popularity will increase. The four major reforms that President Yoon pursues are right, even from a defector’s perspective. When I look at the leftists these days, even I, a person who will die soon, have a hard time. The opposition party’s attacks don’t make sense, even from a defector’s perspective.”
On July 14, ‘North Korean Defectors’ Day’ became a legal commemorative day for the first time. KSM received the Order of Civil Merit, Dongbaek Medal for his contribution to supporting North Korean defectors. “As a defector, I am absolutely opposed to the unprincipled trilateral relationships with North Korea and the U.S., as was the case with former President Moon Jae-in. President Yoon must continue to uphold the principle of free unification,” said KSM.
Q. North Korea has been sending trash balloons and exploded the road connecting North and South Korea.
A: “North Koreans know too much about South Korea. It’s through South Korean dramas. The leaflets we sent and the flash drives in plastic bottles have spread so much. Kim Jong Un must have felt threatened that if he doesn’t cut off South Korea, he’ll be in big trouble.”
Q. Bad enough to undermine the Kim regime?
A: “That’s why Kim Jong Un created the two-state theory and called South Korea the enemy. The problem is the trash balloons. The original purpose of balloons is to burst in the sky. But the trash balloons’ goal is to land on the ground. I think they practiced putting explosives and chemicals in the balloons using trash for contingencies.”
<No More Unification? Is He a Spy?>
Q: Lim Jong-seok, Former Chief of Staff to President Moon, mentioned that South Korea should not “unify” with North Korea.
A: “Isn’t that guy a spy? I really think so. Since the time he sent Lim Soo-kyung to Pyongyang (in 1989), Lim Jong-seok has had things that North Korea could not have imagined, things that even Kim Il Sung could not have expected.”
It was when KSM was attending Kim Hyung-jik Teachers College. The college students were also said to have been moved, saying, “The General’s revolutionary warriors are working so hard in South Korea.” “Lim Soo-kyung came and gave the North Korean people hope for unification. She was talking about unification by force, saying that if they follow the General and tighten their belts, unification is possible. She fanned that vain dream.”
Q: Do you believe that giving up on unification aligns with Kim Jong Un’s two-state theory?
A: “North Koreans are now perplexed by Kim Jong Un’s two-state theory. He has suddenly turned Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il’s words upside down. Kim Jong Un also needs internal persuasion, so he hasn’t been able to reveal details such as constitutional revisions. And in South Korea, they say, ‘Let’s not unify’? Is there any other way to interpret it other than following Kim Jong-un?”
Q: Any chance the two-state theory is being questioned in North Korea?
A: “North Korea does whatever Kim Jong Un says. You can’t argue with him. I think they’ll announce the contents of the constitutional amendment on December 27, which is North Korea’s Constitution Day. In the meantime, I think they’re trying to brainwash the North Korean people.”
Q: Is Kim Jong Un emboldened enough to upend his ancestors’ policy?
A: “Confidence and threats to the current system--I think the latter is more important. The fear that he might be in trouble is greater. Kim Yo-jong and Kim Ju-ae also need to be in place, so there will be various concerns.”
Q: Do you think Kim Ju-ae would eventually succeed him?
A: “If North Koreans say so, then it’s true. North Koreans have seen Kim Ju-ae as the successor since she first appeared. Kim Jong Un brought Kim Ju-ae out to make people think that way. Kim Jong Un’s biggest goal is to maintain the Baekdu bloodline. North Koreans don’t even know Kim Ju-ae’s name. They just say, ‘My beloved child.’ That’s how Kim Il Sung introduced Kim Jong Il to public, and Kim Jong Ill introduced Kim Jong Un to public.”
Q. What implications do you think the North Korean troop deployment would carry?
A: “In North Korea, people enlist in the military at the age of 17, and regular soldiers serve for 10 years, and special forces for 13 years. Young people must have gone (to Russia). Even in a war zone, you have to inject outside information. We decided to create content with the gist of ‘Escape from the front lines to find freedom’ and deliver it through the Ukrainian embassy and other places.”
<Pyongyang Elite Became a Big Brother to North Korean Defectors>
When KSM first came to South Korea, he had no idea that he would become involved in the North Korean democracy movement. “I was the first captain among North Korean defectors to handle self-propelled artillery, so I received three times more in settlement funds than others. With that money, I bought food and drinks for defectors, and we created a small group called ‘Baekdu Hallah Group.’ Then one day, Hwang Jang-yop told someone to ‘bring Kim Jin (KSM’s real name when he was in North Korea)’ to him.”
Q. I understand that Hwang Jang-yop chose you as his successor.
A: “That might be an exaggeration. But, I started broadcasting after becoming the Secretary General of the North Korean Defectors’ Association, following Hwang Jang-yop. If I hadn’t met him, my life would have been different. I would have opened a cold noodle restaurant and made a lot of money (laughs).”
Q. Hwang Jang-yop was the rallying point for North Korean defectors.
A: “There’s something I still can’t forget. There were a lot of rumors that Hwang’s family and relatives in the North were all executed. We happened to find a second cousin. I went all the way to China to bring that family back, and Hwang said, ‘To me, they’re all family. All defectors are family.’ Oh, it was driving me crazy.”
At this point, KSM’s eyes welled up with tears. "Anyway, that's the kind of person he was. He thought of all the defectors as family and tried to raise them as North Korean human rights activists. He was respected not because he had a high position in the North, but because he had a deep understanding of the human-centered philosophy he talked about. He said that the best defectors are those who work hard and earn a lot of money, and go back to their hometown and proudly say, 'I made money in South Korea.'"
Q. What is something memorable from the 20 years of FNKR work?
A: “There was a FNKR program called ‘Warning to the dictator’s minions,’ where defectors testified directly. The guests of the program criticized North Korea so harshly that we could have lost financial support from the U.S. State Department, but we decided to continue the broadcast after contemplating between the budget and integrity.”
Many defectors who heard this broadcast came to visit. There was a defector who came to work at FNKR a week after leaving Hanawon. I sent him back saying, “Even a guy who has been discharged from the military can take a break for six months,” but he came back after a month. Later, he was caught as a spy in the South and fled to the North. There were many moments when his safety was in danger that he needed protection. “I have continued to manage the network with North Korean people and have had many achievements. I have also had many ‘scoops’ such as Pyongyang resident registration data, public execution videos, and North Korea’s new currency.”
Q. What did you initially want to do in South Korea?
A: “I came here thinking that I would help my two uncles who have children the same age as me if they were having a hard time. I served in the military in the North for 19 years, so there was nothing I couldn’t do. I also thought that I would publish a book of poetry. At that time in North Korea, you could only publish a book of poetry if Kim Jong Il gave permission.”
Q. You are currently called North Korean defectors’ big brother.
A: “I buy them food and share what I can, that’s all. One thing I’m proud of is that I’ve written petitions for all cases except for a heinous robbery. I’ve been officiating weddings since I was in my early 50s, and I think I’ve officiated about 100 couples so far. I’ve also officiated weddings for three or four of my police officers.”
Q. Why did a Pyongyang elite have to defect from North Korea?
A: “It’s a long story, but I was falsely accused. My conscience and pride as a writer were crushed, so I was ashamed and humiliated. I thought I would go to South Korea and tell the North about what happened to me.”
Q. You were caught by the police in China right away.
A: “At that time, all I thought about was surviving. I ate a banana for the first time in China. I didn’t even know how to peel it, but when I saw a monkey peeling and eating a banana, I thought I was worse than an animal. Ideology? That kind of thing was shattered in that moment.”
<Still Being Surprised by How Tasteless Coffee Is>
He survived by throwing himself from the bathroom of the train while being forcibly repatriated to North Korea. From that day on, he thought of his life as ‘a bonus.’ He met a Korean-Chinese woman who was a doctor, got married, and now have a daughter (28). There was a picture of his daughter on the bedside table of his room in Ganghwa Island. “If there was one thing I did best in South Korea, it was raising my daughter well. I couldn’t send her to a private academy because I didn’t have money, but she always got 100 in Korean. She’s a researcher, and she has a couple of papers as the primary author.”
Q. Does she help you with your work?
A: “Like other fathers, I couldn’t pay attention when she was growing up. My wife and daughter both hated me being on TV. Even now, they don’t read my articles at all.”
Q. What surprised you the most when you came to South Korea?
A: “I’m still surprised every day. The other day, I saw a coffee called Cantata sold at a convenience store. I thought, ‘How can it be this bad?’”
He burst out laughing. He was surprised by the abundance that even allows to make bad things. “Does anyone know how many drinks there are in South Korea? Hanawon put in drinks for me, and they changed every day for ten months. And what about the unlimited political freedom? I think it was during the presidential election, but a magazine listed the ‘9 major candidates. I thought that if nine people run, one will win and eight will die. It’s a strange country where everything is overflowing, but the president’s approval rating is 17% (laughter).”
Q. What are your regrets?
A: “There’s nothing I regret. There’s nothing I haven’t done since I came here. I thought it wouldn’t be easy to run Free North Korea Radio for a long time, but it’s been maintained until now.”
His cell phone kept ringing during the interview. Because there were so many people, he escaped to a place with good air quality, but he still has many friends visiting him these days. He said that about 100 people gathered for his birthday last June. When he woke up after having brain tumor surgery in 2017, he was told, “It had metastasized from the lung cancer and that was even more serious.” It was a life of living with a second chance. Not long ago, the hospital diagnosed that there were nine 3cm-sized lesions in his liver.
“When I was given a terminal diagnosis, I couldn’t even drink water for 4 days. Then I changed my mind. It means I have six months left to prepare. I’ll organize things step by step, do my remaining roles, and publish a good book. I want to say, ‘This is how I lived, this is how I came to South Korea to live.’”
The poem “Oath” that he wrote that morning goes like this. “Even though it is mine/ It was not something we had since birth/ It was not something from the market/ It was taken away from our parents/ Without it, it is a life that is dead/ Freedom, which is our breath and value/ Our oath to take back to our hometown.” The word “hometown” appeared in every poem he wrote. “They say that even animals return to their birthplace when they die, right?”
He said that he ate Okryugwan cold noodles without any regrets when he lived in Pyongyang. His favorite cold noodle restaurant in Seoul is Pildongmyeonok. I (reporter) said that I also learned about ‘Pyongyang cold noodle’ there, so KSM said that he wanted to meet there next time. On the way back after the interview, I got a text message (from KSM). “I’ll contact you when I go to Seoul. Pildong! Look forward to it.”
Today, too, KSM will turn on the microphone. “Hello, my fellow North Koreans. From now on, we will begin Free North Korea Radio from Seoul, the capital of the Republic of Korea~.”