The Trump administration's recent move to defund the US Agency for Global Media (USAGM) has resulted in severe consequences for foreign workers at US-backed media outlets, including Radio Free Asia. Many employees, who have sought asylum from authoritarian governments, now face potential deportation and dire risks, including imprisonment or death. The sudden cuts, which impacted approximately 3,500 staff, have led to widespread chaos within the agency and raised concerns over the future of independent journalism, particularly regarding broadcasts to authoritarian regimes like North Korea.
Authoritarian governments have praised what Trump is doing right now, Park said. In Burma, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, there were people who fought for freedom and democracy, and they came to work at RFA.
If their own government knew they worked for RFA [Radio Free Asia] and they went back to their own country, their lives would be at risk.
The shuttering of the agency was unexpected and has caused chaos for Park and others. My wife is 28 weeks pregnant and we're very concerned because I might go back to South Korea.
It's very concerning and depressing. But the impact of the decision will be felt globally, said Park. He cited Radio Free Asia's broadcasts to North Korea which, he noted, defectors from North Korea have cited as an important source of information.
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