[CCF] Off topic: No North Korea

[Timo]

http://www.arrl.org/news/stories/2002/03/14/1/?nc=1
YT1AD says "Never Again!" to Future P5 DXpedition Attempts



NEWINGTON, CT, Mar 14, 2002--The Daily DX today reported additional details about the recent aborted effort by noted DXer Hrane Milosevic, YT1AD, to operate from North Korea. Milosevic described his visit there as "a thrill," but said the DXpedition was thwarted when military personnel intervened. He indicated that he would not make any further attempts to operate from North Korea--now the second most-wanted DXCC entity after the soon-to-be-activated Ducie Island. 

Accompanied by Voja Kapun, YU7AV, Milosevic said he arrived in the North Korean capital of Pyongyang March 5 and was welcomed by representatives of the Ministry of Telecommunications and Foreign Affairs. 

"We were stationed in Yangakdo Hotel, on the bank of the river with the same name," he said, according to a translation of e-mail communications provided Nenad Stevanovic, VE3EXY, provided to The Daily DX. "The hotel has 47 floors, and we were on the 40th floor, with almost ideal conditions for work. All our equipment was put together, and we were about to start our operation with the previously assigned call sign, P5A." 


Ed Giorgadze, P5/4L4FN, at his operating position in North Korea. He uses an ICOM IC-706MkIIG to a vertical antenna and has been active on SSB and RTTY. [Photo courtesy of KK5DO]
 

The P5A team reportedly had the nod to operate from civilian authorities in North Korea, but Milosevic said a uniformed official appeared unexpectedly and imposed a ban on the operation until the team got permission from military authorities as well. That permission was supposed to arrive March 8, "but nobody showed up, possibly because of a holiday," Milosevic speculated, adding that he and YU7AV did not want to risk starting up an unauthorized operation. 

"Meanwhile," he added, "we had fun listening to all the pirates pretending to be us, when we did not make a single contact." 

When a military official finally showed up last Sunday, March 10, he simply said, "No transmission until further notice." At that point, Milosevic said, he and Kapun had no other choice but to leave North Korea. 

"After landing in Beijing, our only comment was, never again!!!" Milosevic said. 

North Korea is not out of reach for DXers, but DXCC credit remains elusive. Ed Giorgadze, P5/4L4FN, of the Republic of Georgia continues to operate from there as his schedule permits. Giorgadze--who is with the UN World Food Program--has obtained oral permission to operate, but his operation has not yet been approved for DXCC credit. More information on P5/4L4FN is on the AMSAT Net Web site operated by Bruce Paige, KK5DO. 

73 Timo OH1NOA
http://www.oh1noa.tk