Content-Type: text/html AFKN as a U.S. Postwar Propaganda Program: A Hypothesis AFKN (American Forces Korea Network) as a U.S. Postwar Propaganda Program: A Hypothesis by Jae-Young Kim (A Doctoral Student in the School of Journalism at Southern Illinois University at Carbondale) Address: 3003 W. Sunset Apt. # 4 Carbondale, IL 62901 Phone: (618) 549-3762 E-mail: [log in to unmask] AFKN as a U.S. Postwar Propaganda Program: A Hypothesis _ This study examines the historical implications of American Forces Korea Network (AFKN) in terms of U.S. postwar information program. It proposes a hypothesis that AFKN is a cultural propaganda medium extended from U.S. international policy after World War II. AFKN is a unique foreign medium that has existed in Korea for almost 50 years. It is an affiliate of the Armed Forces Radio and Television Service (AFRTS),[1] and the second largest of five networks managed by the Army Broadcasting Service (ABS).[2] ABS is a congressionally mandated, Field Operating Activity of the Office of the Chief of Public Affairs, Department of the Army. According to Browne (1982), AFRTS "has a longer history than does the Voice of America, by three months" (p. 129). On May 26, 1942, the War Department, recognizing its powerful hold, built a worldwide AFRS to provide American programs through short-wave for troops overseas, wherever stationed. Since then, "virtually all United States military installations abroad had AFRTS outlets" (p. 219).[3] AFKN began operating in 1950, the first year of the Korean War, and broadcast its first television program in 1957. AFKN-TV has been broadcasting for 40 years as an information and entertainment medium for 55,000 United States military personnel, civilian employees, and their dependents. However, as its signal reaches the entire nation through a sophisticated cable and microwave system, AFKN has become one of the most popular entertainment media, among younger Koreans in particular. Despite the relatively long history and the unusual nature of AFKN, most broadcast scholars have not the slightest idea of its existence. Research of AFKN as an unknown medium first needs to be explained -- What is AFKN and how has it evolved in Korea? To understand the historical significance of AFKN, it is necessary to examine the aim of U.S. postwar foreign policy and the activities of U.S. occupation forces in Korea, that landed in 1945. One of the premises of this study is that U.S. military forces' occupation of Korea after World War II has had a significant effect not only on current Korean society but also on the beginning of AFKN. By positing AFKN as an extension of U.S. postwar international propaganda program, this study attempts to contribute to an understanding of American military broadcasting as a cultural imperialist institution. The concept of cultural imperialism, in general, refers to the process of cultural dominance and dependence between nations. The AFKN case is especially significant because "by law, foreign nationals are not allowed to own and operate news media in Korea. An exception is the U.S. military-run broadcasting system, AFKN" (Lee, 1982, p. 589). Research Problem and Questions The research problem of this study is: to what extent was the establishment of AFKN related to the U.S. postwar information program? This problem has three basic research questions and some sub-questions: 1. What was the U.S. occupation forces' policy in Korea within a context of U.S. postwar planning? a. What was the aim of U.S. postwar foreign policy? b. What were the activities of U.S. occupation forces in Korea? 2. How has AFKN evolved in Korea? a. How is AFKN operated? b. What is the programming of AFKN? 3. What were the factors to be AFKN conceived? a. What was the mission of AFKN? b. How was the decision made to create AFKN? Justifications One of the mass media that is little studied but probably is of great significance is the American armed forces broadcast service. When researchers examine the external broadcasting voices of the United States, as Craig (1988) pointed out, "they invariably dwell upon the traditional services such as the Voice of America, Radio Free Europe, Radio Liberty, and Radio in the American Sector" (p. 307). Hence, "the role played by U.S. military broadcasting . . . has been underemphasized" (p. 307). The works on AFRTS are mostly either the descriptive study, giving historical accounts of the networks, or the shadow audience research, based on 'cultivation theory' or 'uses and gratifications model.' Browne (1982) provided a detailed account of the early years of U.S. armed forces radio station. Barnouw (1968), Bayless (1968), and Craig (1986; 1988) published descriptive analyses of AFN, the military's largest and most complex overseas system. While Craig's earlier article described AFN, its audiences, and the dilemma it faces in trying to serve military interests without losing credibility, his later one examined AFN's postwar programming, the military's influence over the network, and the shadow audience of Europeans who tuned in during the postwar era. During the late 1960s and early 1970s, as stations in Vietnam came under attack mostly from military staff for censoring the news, Bayless (1969), Moody (1970), and Moore (1971) dealt with the American Forces Vietnam Network (AFVN)-related issues. Although their works provided the context of establishment of AFRTS, they did not mention AFKN at all. Meanwhile, some scholars paid particular attention to the impact of AFKN. Kang and Morgan (1988) examined the impact of American television programs on Korean viewers. They, in particular, explored the relationships between exposure to U.S. programs and conceptions of social reality among 226 college students in Korea. In the research, they focused on AFKN "because it broadcasts nothing but U.S. programs and because Korean officials play virtually no role in its programming" (p. 433). In the similar vein, Choi (1989) centered on the question, 'who views what on AFKN-TV for what reasons with what impacts?' in his dissertation. While the critical framework of media imperialism provided a macro-level perspective for the study, a few other audience-centered micro-level perspectives provided a conceptual framework. However, these works on AFKN mostly focused on its audiences without examining the historical and political meanings of AFKN for Koreans. Likewise, although the U.S. Army has been operating a network of powerful broadcasting station in Korea for more than 45 years, AFKN has received little attention from the broadcast scholars. Furthermore, even though AFKN as an external medium has had a significant role in Korean society, no work on this broadcasting service has been studied from the perspective of cultural imperialism. This area remains a blind spot in the field of international communication. On the other hand, this study mostly relies on the revisionist or New Left historians in the United States to contextualize the U.S. occupation of Korea in the postwar construction. Since the late 1950s, the historians have made efforts to unravel the dynamics between politico-economic interests and public policy in international affairs, challenging the traditional progressive-liberal historians, who adopt the official version that the U.S. occupation originally had a good intention to assist the Korean people in establishing a free state. McCune's (1950) work can be classified as a representative work from the libertarian perspective on the U.S. occupation of Korea. Many revisionist scholars have produced significant works concerning the history of occupied Korea. Above all, Cumings (1981) is well known for his monumental work on the history of the U.S. occupation of Korea. He, following up the process of revolution and counter-revolution in occupied Korea, argued that the U.S. occupation forces planted the seeds for Korean War by pursuing a counter-revolutionary policy. Kolko and Kolko (1972) also produced insightful work concerning the imperialist nature of the U.S. occupation of Korea. Their work covered U.S. imperialist maneuvers worldwide during the early postwar period. Although the revisionist point of view provides a historical framework for this study, its historians overlooked U.S. occupation forces' activities in the cultural domains, only concentrating on the intervention of the forces into the economic and political structures of Korean society. In this respect, both Cha's (1994) and Youm's (1991) works are worthy of attention. Cha analyzed the history and origins of a case of cultural imperialism through examining media control and propaganda activities during the 1945-1948 United States' occupation of Korea. Meanwhile, Youm, concentrating on press policy of the U.S. military government, examined how it was evolved in the transitional era of Korea (1945-1948) and how it had affected the development of the Korean press. Nevertheless, they failed to extend their problematics to the creation of AFKN and to shed light on it from the perspective of U.S. international propaganda program in the postwar era. It is also a blind spot in the history of Korean-American relationship. Consequently, this project deals with two parts of the blind spot: U.S. forces activities in the cultural domains in Korea and historical implications of AFKN. There is not any comprehensive work connecting the U.S. postwar plan to the establishment of AFRTS including AFKN. Thus, by analyzing the historical implications of AFKN in terms of U.S. postwar propaganda program, this study tries to give a new point of view on this network. Finally, I hope this historical work would be constructive for setting up broadcasting policy in Korea. Many Korean scholars and government officials insist that AFKN is producing cultural and social side effects in Korean society. In face of criticisms, AFKN's usage of the VHF-line (regular over-the-air electric wave) was switched to UHF-line in April, 1996. The historical analyses from the various points of views will be useful for Korean broadcasting policy-makers to figure out the future status of AFKN. U.S. Postwar Activities in Korea The common theme of revisionist historians starts from the observation that the aim of the U.S. participation in World War II was to create a free world market that would guarantee free trade and investment for U.S. business. In the postwar era, the single element that was affecting U.S. foreign policy was "the concern over the rival power represented by Communist countries, especially the Soviet Union" (Freedman, 1974, p. 416). Schonberger (1985), in particular, put the U.S. postwar aims in Asia rather well: 1) integrating the region into the American-dominated world capitalist economy; 2) thwarting the power and influence of the Soviet Union; 3) channeling the revolutions sweeping the European and former Japanese colonial empires away from communism or, alter natively, repressing them (p. 140). To pursue these general goals, the U.S. occupation forces in Korea functioned as part of the U.S. postwar plan to incorporate Korea into the capitalist world system under U.S. hegemony. Korea in this process became a testing place for the Truman Administration's containment policy in the postwar era.[4] The de facto efforts at containment in Korea were to minimize the Soviet influence by running counter to the indigenous leftist forces in Korea as well as the Soviet Union. From the early days of occupation, U.S. forces tried to control the Korean media. They confiscated the Seoul Broadcasting station and the other 10 local stations of Korean Broadcasting Corporation (KBC), which the leftists tried to take, in less than a month after Korea's liberation from Japan. After that, the U.S. military government tightened its control of all the media through the promulgation of military ordinances. For instance, the U.S. military government enforced the "Broadcasting Regulation Rule"[5] in 1946, prohibiting stations from broadcasting unverifiable, defamatory false, and titillating, obscene, or blasphemous reports. Neither were stations allowed to broadcast advertisements which were not registered with the military government in compliance with Ordinance 55. Furthermore, programs to be aired had to obtain prior permission from the military government. The enactment of the rule, as Kim et al. (1994) pointed out, resulted in "further restrictions of Korean broadcasting which was already under strict control of the U.S. Military Government" (p. 42). As a consequence, it became next to impossible for leftists to broadcast their ideas. According to G-2 Periodic Report on August 7, 1947, eleven workers at a station were arrested on August 4, 1947, because they tried to broadcast left-wing ideas, undermining the radio transmission of programs containing right-wing propaganda (United States Army Forces in Korea, 1990, p. 6). In June, 1948, the U.S. military government returned the broadcasting stations to the Chosun Broadcasting Committee under the Ministry of Information of Korea and withdrew from Korea. The major role of the stations under the control of government was centered around the enlightenment of the public and governmental propaganda. Meanwhile, the stations suffered from a shortage of funds. Two years later, U.S. forces came back to Korea to fight the Korean War and started radio broadcasts in the name of AFKN in Seoul. Institutional History of AFKN The first military radio stations appeared in Panama and Alaska just prior to World War II. They started out with a temporary, low-power unauthorized transmitter, which tried to bring domestic radio fare to soldiers. During the first days of U.S. participation in the War, a military radio station started on Bataan and Corregidor in the Philippines. The success of these early radio stations paved the way for AFRS. In 1942, the armed forces officially established AFRS with the mission of bringing American programs to U.S. military locations overseas. AFKN started radio broadcasts in Seoul in September 1950 as an extension of Far East Network in Tokyo, Japan, which controlled the first radio stations in Korea.[6] Lead elements of the network came ashore during the Inchon landing and set up broadcasting facilities in the old bombed out American embassy in Seoul. This station signed on October 4, 1950, at 12:41 with a newscast. The lead story was General Douglas MacArthur's demand for Kim Il-Sung, commander in chief of the North Korean forces, to surrender. In the 1950s, AFKN affiliates were recognized by call signs. However, the network currently settles into fixed locations with the headquarters in Seoul and affiliates in Pusan, Taegu, Kunsan, Osan, Tongduchon, and Munsan. In addition, AFKN Camp Humphreys signed on July 4, 1986, establishing greater service to the Pyongtaek area as its newest affiliate. Four years after the Korean War and four years ahead of Korea's first state-run television station, the U.S. forces started their own television broadcasting in the capital area of Korea on September 15, 1957, using VHF channel 2. AFKN had relied mostly on the International Telecommunication Satellite (INTELSAT), an organization that provides a global satellite service, for live broadcasts on an occasional use basis. The launch of SATNET, the U.S. Department of Defense Satellite Network, on October 4, 1983, brought about a revolutionary change, offering "AFKN a privilege of full-time satellite use, uninterrupted and fully dedicated to the American Armed Forces broadcasting in the Far East and its viewers" (Choi, 1989, p.22). Today, news, sports, and other time-sensitive programs are transmitted via three AFRTS satellites, whereas most radio and television entertainment programs are still sent by mail. Even though the service AFKN provides is solely intended for military personnel use, various surveys showed that many Koreans are exposed to the network.[7] For example, Kim (1985) reported about 65% of the respondents surveyed regularly watched AFKN-TV during weekdays, and the percentage increased up to 82% during weekends. Kang and Morgan (1988) also found that about 52% of the Korean college students watched AFKN-TV for more than an hour a day. Then, what do Koreans watch on AFKN-TV? The AFRTS Broadcast Center, located on March Air Reserve Base, Riverside, California, selects and obtains programs for the worldwide AFRTS system. Its representatives negotiate with program suppliers to acquire specific shows. Through the generous cooperation of performing guilds, unions, and federations, tracing back to World War II, each program distributor supplies its programs to AFRTS at no cost or for a nominal administrative fee. AFRTS exercises no control over the content of program material except deleting commercials.[8] Instead of commercials, AFKN-TV presents Department of Defense internal information, information programs prepared by military and civilian personnel, and other public service announcements. However, the most distinguishing feature of AFKN-TV programming is compelling proportions of entertainment programs. According to an examination of the March 1990 Korean TV Guide, AFKN-TV aired about 140 hours weekly, of which 110 hours consisted of entertainment programs. Today, AFKN-TV broadcasts its programs around the clock everyday. The current programming is characterized by two major categories: news and entertainment programs. For a week from June 2, 1997, straight news such as CNN Headline News, ABC News, and AFKN News and news magazines like 60 Minutes, ABC 20/20, and 48 Hours were broadcast. Though, the entertainment programs such as Guiding Light, General Hospital, Wheel of Fortune, The Oprah Winfrey Show, Melrose Place, Frasier, ER, Saturday Night Live, and Late Show with David Letterman overwhelmed the entire programming.[9] Choi (1989) also concluded that entertainment programs were the most prevalent forms of AFKN-TV programming by classifying sitcoms, crime-adventures, soaps and prime-time drama, game shows, music varieties, adult comedies, and a variety of late night specials on music and movies as entertainment programs (pp. 23-24). Kim et al. (1994) asserted that "there is no doubt that AFKN-TV provides entertainment to Koreans" (p. 132). As a natural consequence, the concern over the negative cultural influence of AFKN programs on young Koreans was raised by civic groups in Korea. In particular, these apprehensions "have intensified since the Korean government in 1983 approved the connection of AFKN with SATNET" (Kang and Morgan, 1988, p. 433). It was combined with anti-American feelings brought about in the late 1980s.[10] In addition, the proliferation of local television stations in the early 1990s leading to overcrowded frequency spectrum forced the U.S. Forces in Korea and the Ministry of Information and Communication of Korea to agree on the AFKN-TV channel transfer in 1991. Though the channel conversion into UHF 34 was originally to have taken place in 1992, technical problems and other related matters delayed the process until April, 1996. The switch, however, does not affect the cities of Pusan, Taejon, and Chinhae, where AFKN-TV still occupies the VHF channel 2. Making a Hypothesis: AFKN as a Propaganda Medium In using the term, 'propaganda,' this study, for the most part, relies on the definition of O'Donnell and Jowett (1989). They, assuming propaganda as a unique subset of communication composed of information and persuasion, maintained that the aim of one type of propaganda, informative communication, is to promote mutual understanding between sender and receiver. Propaganda appears to be informative, especially when ideas are shared or something is explained. However, in the process, the sender does not attach great importance to the well-being of the receiver, because the real purpose of propaganda is not to promote mutual understanding but rather to advance institutional or partisan objectives (pp. 59-63). The U.S. occupation forces' consistent broadcasting control indicates that they considered broadcasting an essential communication channel not only to prevent revolutionary groups from having access to it but to familiarize the Koreans with the American culture. To attain these objectives effectively, the forces made American staff write the scripts of most radio programs in English and translated them into Korean to be broadcast. The Radio Subsection of the KBC, which was confiscated by the U.S. occupation forces in September 1945, also arranged the Korean-language program of the short-wave Voice of America (VOA)[11] to be rebroadcast for one half hour every morning beginning in January 1946. About a year later, the programming was moved to an evening time slot to attract more listeners.[12] In addition to these direct attempts to instill U.S. official messages into Koreans, U.S. forces succeeded in making a foundation for diffusing American culture to Koreans. From the early days, Koreans were barraged with U.S. popular music through the KBC, because its stations were forced to put U.S. popular music on the airwaves at least for an hour a day (Cha, 1994, p. 215). The exposure of Koreans to American culture has been accelerated since the introduction of AFKN in 1950. As noted earlier, entertainment programs have overwhelmingly occupied the overall programming of AFKN-TV, provoking some debates from various walks of life in Korea. The controversy, in general, has revolved around both potential effects of content on the viewers' psychological and sociological orientations and the cultural sovereignty issue.[13] The objections about AFKN-TV programs are classified in three respects. First, AFKN-TV programming has caused cultural and social problems for the Korean public, because "entertainment shows which are inappropriately sexual or too exploitative for Korean tastes make up a large percentage of the programs" (Chung, 1986, p. 8). Second, as Nam (1978) pointed out, the presence of AFKN itself has become "a contributing factor toward the Americanization of South Korean programming" (p. 51). Finally, by being exposed to incessant American programs, Korean people have grown familiarity with the American way of life. The last type of impact is the most profound one on Korean society and the most relevant one to this study. Also, it should be noted that this impact was not unintended by U.S. forces. The memorandum from President Roosevelt to James L. Fly, Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, on November 16, 1943, called attention to the importance of postwar international broadcasting by saying that: if the principle of freedom to listen is to help in providing the basis for better understanding between the peoples of the world, it seems to me important that we lay the proper foundations now for an effective system of international broadcasting for the future years (MacMahon, 1945, p. 46). The U.S. forces' endeavor to transmit American culture was carried out as part of or in the name of "mutual understanding." These activities can be considered as part of cultural propaganda in terms of O'Donnell and Jowett's usage. By forcing Koreans to be familiar with American culture, U.S. forces tried to create favorable attitudes toward the U.S. and, ultimately, help secure the support for its policy. In playing this kind of role, direct international broadcasting including then AFRS was considered appropriate because of its ability to reach persons in other countries despite the opposition of their governments. It is identified by the Special Committee on Communications' approval the following statement prepared by the Department of State on February 19, 1945: "direct short-wave broadcasts originating in the United States should be continued after the war on a daily basis" (MacMahon, 1945, p. 53). As the statement suggested, U.S. armed forces decided to maintain their networks after World War II by transforming them to permanent facilities. According to official documents, AFRTS was established to keep American forces informed and entertained. On July 4, 1943, while addressing the AFN staff in London, General Dwight D. Eisenhower said, A soldier who is well-informed and knows this country's national goals has good reason for being motivated and that gives him a fighting edge. It makes him a better soldier (http://www.dtic.mil/armylink/abs/absman.htm). General Eisenhower's remark was reflected in AFRTS' statement of purpose as it was. AFRTS plainly expounded that its mission is to deliver radio and television programming services which provide "a touch of home" to Department of Defense personnel and their families serving overseas.[14] The mission of AFKN is also apparently the same. It is to provide radio and television information and entertainment for all U.S. military personnel serving in the Republic of Korea (American Forces Korea Network, 1983). These broad statements describe the reason for the existence of AFRTS and AFKN. For this reason, Craig (1986) maintained that AFN, an affiliate of AFRTS, "is not a propaganda service in the image of Voice of America or Radio Free Europe" (p. 34). However, it can be easily refuted in that, as discussed above, the shadow audiences of AFKN are considerably composed of the indigenous people and U.S. information program in the postwar era intended to make them acquainted with American way of life. This point, however, does not always imply that propaganda has been conducted by AFKN in the manner "intended." Rather, AFKN may unwittingly be contributing to facilitating the reception of American cultures in many aspects in Korea. Conclusion: Remaining Issues It is impossible to understand the actual purpose of the establishment of AFKN without historical hindsight into U.S. armed forces' activities after World War II in Korea as well as U.S. postwar information program in general. For this historical work, this study needed, above all, both official records concerning the activities of U.S. occupation forces in Korea and proceedings, memoranda, dictates, and so forth on the creation of AFRTS and AFKN. Most of the records relating to U.S. occupation after World War II are held at the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) in Washington, D.C., and the Washington National Records Center (WNRC) in Suitland, Maryland.[15] The documents specifically relevant to this study are scattered in various record groups. Nevertheless, early records on AFKN are incomplete because there is no official U.S. military recognition of the network as far as I could find. This study has flaws because it did not identify and scrutinize relevant documents enough. Instead, it intended to throw a new perspective on American military broadcasting networks, especially AFKN, by contextualizing U.S. international information program in the postwar era and by providing limited circumstantial evidence. Therefore, future studies on this issue will need to incorporate germane documents towards placing American military broadcasting as an extension of U.S. postwar propaganda program. REFERENCES Books and Articles in English Barnouw, Erik. (1968). The Golden Web: A History of Broadcasting in the United States. New York: Oxford University Press. Bayless, Ovid L. (1968). "The American Forces Network -- Europe." Journal of Broadcasting, 12 (2): 161-167. Bayless, Ovid L. (1969). "The American Forces Vietnam Network." Journal of Broadcasting, 13 (2): 145-151. Browne, Donald R. (1982). International Radio Broadcasting: The Limits of the Limitless Medium. New York: Praeger. Cha, Jae-Young. (1994). Media Control and Propaganda in Occupied Korea, 1945-1948: Toward an Origin of Cultural Imperialism. Unpublished Doctoral Dissertation, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Choi, Jeong-Hwa. (1989). Uses and Effects of Foreign Television Programming: A Study of an American Armed Forces Television in Korea. Unpublished Doctoral Dissertation, Michigan State University. Craig, R. Stephen. (1986). "The American Forces Network, Europe: A Case Study in Military Broadcasting." Journal of Broadcasting and Electronic Media, 30 (1): 33- 46. Craig, R. Stephen. (1988). "American Forces Network in the Cold War: Military Broadcasting in Postwar Germany." Journal of Broadcasting and Electronic Media, 32 (3): 307-321. Cumings, Bruce. (1981). The Origins of the Korean War: Liberation and the Emergence of Separate Regimes, 1945-1947. Princeton: Princeton University Press. Freedman, Leonard. (1974). Power and Politics in America. 2nd Ed. North Scituate, MA: Duxbury Press. Head, Sydney W. (1972). Broadcasting in America: A Survey of Television and Radio. 2nd Ed. Boston: Houghton Mifflin. Kang, Jong-Geun and Michael Morgan. (1988). "Culture Clash: Impact of U.S. Television in Korea." Journalism Quarterly, 65 (2): 431-438. Kim, Kyu, Won-Yong Kim and Jong-Geun Kang. (1994). Broadcasting in Korea. Seoul: Nanam. Kolko, Joyce and Gabriel Kolko. (1972). The Limits of Power: The World and United States Foreign Policy, 1945-1954. New York: Harper & Row. Kristof, Nicholas D. (1987). "Anti-Americanism Grows in South Korea." (July 12). New York Times, sec. 4, p. 3. Lee, Jae-Won. (1982). "South Korea." In George Thomas Kurian. (Ed.) World Press Encyclopedia. (pp. 579-594). New York: Facts on File. Matray, James I. (1983). "Korea: Test Case of Containment in Asia." In Bruce Cumings. (Ed.) Child of Conflict: The Korean-American Relationship, 1943-1953. (pp. 309- 326). Seattle: The University of Washington Press. McCune, George. (1950). Korea Today. Cambridge: Harvard University Press. Moody, Randall J. (1970). "The Armed Forces Broadcast News System: Vietnam Version." Journalism Quarterly, 47 (1): 27-30. Moore, Charles B. (1971). "Censorship of AFVN news in Vietnam." Journal of Broadcasting, 15 (4): 387-395. Nam, Sunwoo. (1978). "Republic of Korea (South Korea)." In Lent, John A. (Ed.) Broadcasting in Asia and the Pacific: A Continental Survey of Radio and Television. (pp. 41-55). Philadelphia: Temple University Press. O'Donnell, Victoria and Garth S. Jowett. (1989). "Propaganda as a Form of Communication." In Ted J. Smith III. (Ed.) Propaganda: A Pluralistic Perspective. (pp. 49-63). New York: Praeger. Saunders, Jack. (1983). "Records in the National Archives Relating to Korea, 1945- 1950." In Bruce Cumings. (Ed.) Child of Conflict: The Korean-American Relationship, 1943-1953. (pp. 309-326). Seattle: The University of Washington Press. Schonberger, Howard B. (1985). "The Cold War and the American Empire in Asia." Radical History Review, 33: 139-154. Youm, Kyu Ho. (1991). "Press Policy of the U.S. Military Government in Korea: A Case of Failed "Libertarian" Press Theory?" American Journalism, 8 (2/3): 160-177. U.S. Government Materials AFRTS-Broadcast Center: http://www.dodmedia.osd.mil:80/afrts_bc American Forces Korea Network. (1980). Armed Forces Korea Network: A Short History. Seoul: AFKN. American Forces Korea Network. (1983). AFKN Brochure. Seoul: AFKN. Army Broadcasting Service: http://www.dtic.mil/armylink/abs/ MacMahon, Arthur W. (1945). Memorandum on the Postwar International Information Program of the United States. Washington, DC: Government Printing Office. National Archives and Records Administration: http://www.nara.gov/ United States Army Forces in Korea. (1947). "History of the United States Army Forces in Korea." Manuscript in the Office of the Chief of Military History, Washington, DC. United States Army Forces in Korea. (1990). G-2 Periodic Report, September 1945- August 1948. Korea: Hanlim University Press. United States Army Forces in Korea. Record Group 332, XXIV Corps, G-2, Historical Section. Suitland: Washington National Records Center. United States Department of State. Foreign Relations of the United States, 1943-1948. Washington, DC: Government Printing Office. United States Office of Strategic Services. Record Group 226. Washington, DC: National Archives and Records Administration. Articles and Papers in Korean Choe, S. J. (1980). "AFKN Celebrates Its 30th Anniversary." (October 2). Dong-A Ilbo. Chung, H. S. (1986). "AFKN: Friend or Foe?" (October 16). The Korea Herald. Chung, J. H. (1983a). "AFKN Launches Its Around-the-clock Broadcasting Starting on October 4th." (September 30). Chosun Ilbo. Chung, J. H. (1983b). "Don't Show Us the M*A*S*H Koreans." (October 7). Chosun Ilbo. Chung, J. H. (1984). "AFKN Detrimental to the Young: Corrective Policy Deemed Necessary to Curb the Sex and Violence on AFKN-TV." (April 6). Chosun Ilbo. Hong, C. K. (1980). "AFKN-TV Increasingly Popular among College Students for Lively Language Learning." (August 13). Dong-A Ilbo. Kang, H. D. (1983). "AFKN and Its Cultural Influence." Broadcasting Quarterly, (2/3): 125-133. Kim, D. J. (1983). "AFKN and Korean-American Relations." (October 7). Chosun Ilbo. Kim, H. D. (1985). "AFKN-TV Viewing among College Students: A Uses and Gratifications Approach." Unpublished Master's Thesis, Kyunghee University. Kim, H. M. (1983). "Korea and America under Same Broadcasting Jurisdiction: A Shock of AFKN's Direct Broadcast Satellite Link." (October 6). Dong-A Ilbo. Kim, J. S. (1981). "Increasing AFKN-TV Viewers: Popular among College Students and Young Middle-class Salarymen." (February 27). Dong-A Ilbo. Korean Press Research Institute. (1992). Mass Media in Korea. Seoul: Korean Press Research Institute. Korean TV Guide: http://www.seoul.co.kr/tvguide/i_t.htm Lee, Y. J. (1984). "Violence on AFKN-TV: What can We Do about It?" (October 4). Chosun Ilbo. Lee, Y. J. (1985). "AFKN-TV Popular among College Students." (May 29). Chosun Ilbo. Park, S. S. (1983). "A Coordination Committee Viewed Necessary to Control the AFKN's Cultural and Informational Invasion." (December 12). Seoul Shinmun. Shin, K. H. (1983). "An Increasing Concern over AFKN-TV: Implications of Its Around- the-clock Programming and Cultural Invasion." (October 10). Chosun Ilbo. Suh, B. H. (1979). "Increasing Shadow Viewers of AFKN-TV, the 'Third Network' in Korea." (February 10). Weekly Chung-Ang. Yoon, J. K. (1983). "AFKN and Living Room Pollution." (December 14). Kyunghyang Shinmun. [1] Originally established during World War II as the Armed Forces Radio Service (AFRS), AFRS changed its name to AFRTS with the advent of television. Vietnam era anti-militarism in the early 1970s brought about change its name again to the American Forces Radio and Television Service. In 1982, the Pentagon decided to revert to the name, Armed Forces Radio and Television Service. See Craig (1986), p. 44, n. 4. [2] Currently, ABS operates four AFRTS broadcast networks: American Forces Network in Europe (AFN) in Frankfurt, Germany; Southern Command Network (SCN) in Panama; Central Pacific Network (CPN) in the Marshall Islands; and AFKN. In addition, the ABS staff directly manages the radio affiliate, Armed Forces Radio Station (AFRS), at Fort Greely, Alaska. [3] Today, AFRTS has more than 450 land-based outlets in more than 140 foreign countries and U.S. territories. In addition, more than 30 U.S. Navy ships at sea receive AFRTS programming when deployed. [4] For a detailed discussion of U.S. containment policy in Korea, see Matray (1983). [5] For a full description of the articles of this regulation, see Korean Press Research Institute (1992), p. 359. [6] On September 27, 1950, the Japan Logistical Command General Order No. 84 officially created the Armed Forces Radio Service Army detachment which evolved into the present day AFKN. See Army Broadcasting Service's Website (http://www.dtic.mil/armylink/abs/). [7] In a similar manner, Head (1972) mentioned that "AFRTS . . . brings American-style domestic programming within reach of many foreign viewers and listeners" (p. 17). [8] U.S. Department of Defense Regulation 5120.20R prohibits commercial advertising on AFRTS stations. [9] For the AFKN-TV programming schedule, see Korean TV Guide's Website (http://www.seoul.co.kr/tvguide/i_t.htm). [10] See the New York Times article by Kristof (1987). [11] American overseas broadcasting generally takes two forms: broadcasts intended for American troops abroad such as AFKN, and the explicit propaganda efforts of VOA. [12] See United States Army Forces in Korea, "History of the Department of Public Information (An Outline)," Held in the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), Record Group No. 332, Box No. 41. [13] Debates on these matters had captured the high ground of public concern with the advent of SATNET in 1983. See the bulk of articles of Korean newspapers around that year. [14] See AFRTS-Broadcast Center's Website (http://www.dodmedia.osd.mil:80/afrts_bc). [15] While the NARA holds the Modern Military Branch (MMB) and the Diplomatic Branch (DB), the WNRC holds the General Archives Division (GAD). The records on Korea in the MMB and the DB emphasize the development of U.S. military and diplomatic policy toward Korea in the postwar era; in GAD they emphasize the implementation of that policy. Saunders' (1983) article provided excellent guidance for the records in the archives relating to Korea from 1945 to 1950.