Campaigning German doctor launches project to send radios to NKorea

(11 Aug 2003) 1. Press conference to explain campaign to send radios to North Korea 2. Pan from North Korean defectors to German doctor Norbert Vollertsen 3. Reporters at the presser 4. Organiser pumping air in a balloon 5. Vollertsen holding the balloon 6. Vollertsen holding radios with another campaign organiser 7. SOUNDBITE (Korean) Hwang Ki-seok, North Korean defector: "I truly believe that we should send as many radios as possible to prevent North Koreans being deceived by North Korean (government)." 8. Reporters 9. Campaign organisers holding a balloon 10. Radio 11. Vollertsen holding radios 12. SOUNDBITE (English) Norbert Vollertsen, German doctor expelled from North Korea: "We have to increase pressure on the international community in front of the six-way talks in Beijing to not only talk about nuclear weapons but also about human rights because this is the main cause of all the problems, human rights violation in North Korea." 13. Pan of photos of children in North Korea 14. Vollertsen holding photos of North Korean children 15. Reporters 16. SOUNDBITE (English) Norbert Vollertsen, German doctor expelled from North Korea: "We will increase in front of this six-way talks in Beijing we will increase our activities to create more pressure. And we are getting more radical because it's an emergency case in North Korea." 17. Various of Vollertsen holding a balloon 18. Reporters 19. Radio 20. Pan from Vollertsen holding a radio to photographers 21. Press conference STORYLINE: German doctor-turned-campaigner Nobert Vollertsen disclosed on Monday afternoon a plan to send radios in balloons to North Korea to open the ears of North Koreans to the world outside. Vollertsen and other organisers of the plan hoped North Koreans will find the radios soon and use them to listen to news services from other countries. They also expected this plan may create a true link between South and North Koreans. North Koreans defector, Hwang Ki-seok, said: "I truly believe that we should send as many radios as possible to prevent North Koreans being deceived by the North Korean (government)." Vollertsen and his friends didn't say when they would fly radios in balloons over the sky in the North. The best place for sending radios would be somewhere near the border between the two Koreas, such as Imjin-gak in Kyunggi province or Tongil vista-point near Mount Diamond in Kangwon province. Meanwhile Vollertsen emphasised how important it was to address human right issues in North Korea during the six-way talks which expected to be held in Beijing this month. Vollertsen and his friends said they would try to put pressure on the participating countries to discuss not only North Korean nuclear issues but also human rights this time. They expect to send at least 20 balloons and 600 radios to North Korea. the project is funded by donations from human rights groups and concerned individuals. Vollertsen, a family doctor from Duesseldorf, was struck by the plight of North Koreans when he volunteered to work in the isolated communist state through a medical relief program. But when he criticised the treatment of starving people in the impoverished countryside, the government expelled him. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter:   / ap_archive   Facebook:   / aparchives   ​​ Instagram:   / apnews   You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...