Via NK Econ Watch comes this great piece of news:

The European Union (EU) and an international group of journalists forged a deal on Tuesday to provide 400 million won (US$290,000) to help anti-Pyongyang radio broadcasting stations run mostly by defectors from North Korea.

The EU and the Reporters sans Frontiers (RSF) signed the deal with three stations — Free North Korea Radio, Open Radio for Korea and Radio Free Chosun — in Seoul to fund their programs for the next three years.

The stations have been producing and sending shortwave anti-communism and human rights radio broadcasts across the border. In the past, North Korea has asked South Korea to suspend the stations, calling them an obstacle to unification.

“In South Korea, there is a need for much support,” RSF spokesman Vincent Brossel said, citing that Seoul’s 2009 budget earmarked for promoting North Korean human rights stood at 190 million won.  [Yonhap]

I have long been an advocate of increasing radio broadcasts into North Korea in order to begin fighting the information war within the country. Radio broadcasts serve as a means to counter all the anti-US propaganda that North Koreans are fed on a daily basis and the effectiveness of these radio broadcasts can be proven by how some North Korean defectors, such as Kang Chol-hwan decided to defect after listening to these broadcasts.

This European support of anti-regime radio broadcasts comes a year after the US increased funding to support five hours of broadcasting every day into North Korea.  These radio stations are having the desired effect because the North Korean regime has continued to try and jam the radio broadcasts and even sent thugs to intimidate the radio broadcasters.

These radio stations combined with the defector balloon operations are a low cost way for western governments to fight the information war within North Korea.