Voice of Korea

As a child, I was often found glued to my dad’s shortwave radio station in pursuit of voices from across the globe. If lucky, I would exchange a few words, in very limited English, with a stranger somewhere far away. Most of the time, all I got was static, in itself a hint of the vast universe yet to be explored by a young soul. This was in the 1970’s and it was my internet.

My piece is a treatment of my own childhood curiosity and the extreme autocracy of North Korea. I used bits of propaganda from North Korean radio, the Kim Jong-Un approved pop band Moranbong Band - performing tributes to their leader - and the massive impact of military parades regularly performed for the Kim family and potentates.

Sources used:
The invasion of South Korea by North Korea on 25 June 1950 announced by Swedish state radio SR.
Mix of “Voice of Korea”, short wave transmissions by North Korea state radio.
North Korean number codes, short wave transmissions date unknown.
Tapto by Moranbang Band.
Military parades of 2005 and 2012 in Pyongyang.
Patriotic Song by North Korean Military Choir.
Voice of Chairman Kim Jong-Un meeting President Donald Trump on 30 June 2019 at the Korean DMZ, related by Swedish state television SVT.
Short wave interference noise recorded from Lafayette HE-20T, a short wave base station used by my father in the 1970’s and still used by me.
All other sound clips from The Short Wave Radio Archive, Daily Mail, Swedish state Radio archives and YouTube.

Composition by Eva Q. Mansson.

Part of the Shortwave Transmissions project, documenting and reimagining the sounds of shortwave radio - find out more and see the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/shortwave