Radio Free Asia Restarts North Korea News Service

A news service dedicated to reaching one of the world's most isolated populations is coming back to life.

Radio Free Asia announced this week it will resume Korean-language broadcasting to North Korea, less than a year after budget cuts forced the outlet to lay off more than 90% of its staff. The revival starts next week with four journalists based in Seoul producing digital content, followed by weekly radio programs later this month.

"We recognize the critical role of our uncensored reporting at a time when so few trusted sources are available to the North Korean people," said Rohit Mahajan, RFA's chief communications officer. The decision came after Congress allocated funding for the first quarter of 2026, with plans to expand programming once additional budget approval comes through.

RFA operates as a US-funded outlet that broadcasts news to countries where free press is restricted or nonexistent. Before the cuts, the Korean Service employed nearly 50 people who provided independent news to North Koreans hungry for information from outside their government's control.

The restart comes amid ongoing political tensions over the outlet's mission and management. Last year, newly appointed agency head Kari Lake terminated RFA's grant, alleging waste and bias, which triggered the mass layoffs and legal challenges from critics who called it a strategic mistake in countering authoritarian governments.

The Ripple Effect

The Korean Service joins RFA's Mandarin and Burmese broadcasts, which have already resumed production. Plans are underway to restart Uyghur, Tibetan, and Cantonese services into China as well, bringing independent journalism back to millions living under information blackouts.

Despite operating with a skeleton crew and limited resources, the remaining RFA staff kept the organization alive through severance payments and careful fund management. Their persistence means trusted news will once again flow to people who have few other ways to access it.

For North Koreans who rely on smuggled radios and risky methods to hear outside voices, the return of Korean-language broadcasts offers a renewed connection to the wider world.