Kim Seong-Min, defector whose radio broadcasts relayed foreign news to North Korea, dies at 63

Kim SeongMin a prominent North Korean defector who used radio broadcasts USB sticks and a network of sources in the secretive country to inform the North Korean public about the truth of their authoritarian government has died He was 63 The founder of the Seoulbased Free North Korea Radio was pronounced dead at a Seoul hospital on Friday years after fighting a lung cancer which recently spread to his liver his former colleagues saidThey said Kim was cremated and his remains were placed at a columbarium near the border with North Korea We North Korean defectors lost one of our leaders We arent sure if well have such a leader again He was truly our hope said Choi Junghoon a defector who worked with Kim for seven yearsShortwave radio broadcastsKim a former North Korean army captain who arrived in South Korea in 1999 began shortwave radio broadcasts into North Korea where most of people have no official access to foreign news in 2005 It was the first such South Korean civilian radio station run by a defectorHis stations news has included everything from success stories of North Korean defectors in South Korea and the purported luxurious life styles of the Norths ruling Kim family to political news in South Korea the US and elsewhereBefore the 2012 US presidential election Kim told The Associated Press that his station recorded a special programme explaining a US election system and comparing it with a North Korean system where a sole candidate wins nearly 100 per cent of the votes cast at each district in parliamentary electionsWe also explained that in South Korea its hard for one candidate to win more than 50 per cent of votes cast as there are diverse opinions In the US challengers often compete against an incumbent president and we stressed thats something that couldnt happen in North Korea Kim saidKims station also threw plastic bottles containing USB sticks with world news and South Korean TV dramas and Kpop songs into the sea to let them float toward North Korean shores on the tides He had sources in North Korea who used illegal mobile phones to sneak news from the country before his station relayed them back to people in other parts of North Korea Kim frequently appeared at rallies forums and TV programmes to criticise North Koreas widely condemned human rights recordsHelp people understandKims works angered North Korea which maintains an extremely tight control on the spread of outside information to its 26 million people as a way to bolster the Kim familys grip on power North Koreas state media called Kim a human garbage Kim also received parcels carrying dead mice and dolls stuck with knives likely from proNorth Korea groups in South KoreaIn another interview with the AP in 2014 Kim discussed the accuracy issue of North Korea news which outsiders like him obtained via phone talks with their contacts in the North but often turned out to be false There are lots of stories about North Korea and I think all of them are good as long as they dont praise that country Kim said I think they will help people understand the Norths dictatorshipKim told his colleagues that he felt deeply fulfilled whenever some North Korean defectors told him that they had listened to his radio broadcasts in the North Among them is Lee Siyoung who worked with Kim for about 10 years and became new head of their radio station in December after Kims condition worsened Lee said when she first met Kim she could recognise his voice as he appeared at radio broadcasts that she had listened to I was so excited to meet and work with him here she saidAimed for a liberal unificationCivilian campaigns to transmit outside news to North Korea have suffered a major setback after the current liberal South Korean government led by President Lee Jae Myung began cracking down on them in a bid to ease tensions with North Korea since taking office in JuneLee Siyoung said her group stopped floating plastic bottles while other organisations suspended flights of large balloons with propaganda leaflets and USB sticks across the border Lees government halted key governmentrun radio broadcasts into North Korea but hasnt asked civic groups to do the sameThe Free North Korea Radio station airs broadcasts two hours a day Lee Siyoung said Kim took part in broadcasts until July and told her and others that our efforts to send outside news to North Korea must not be ceased until one last defector is leftMondays broadcast posted on the stations website still uses Kims prerecorded opening comments Hello North Korean compatriots Now were beginning Free North Korea Radio broadcasts from Seoul the capital of Republic of Korea Kim said Our objective is overthrowing the dictatorship by Kim Jong Un and achieving a liberal unification on the Korean PeninsulaThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday 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