Voice of America, a U.S.-funded radio broadcaster, awarded Seoul’s weather agency a certificate of appreciation for its collaborative weather broadcasts into North Korea, according to officials on Wednesday.

The Korea Meteorological Administration’s partnership, which started in 2010, offers residents of the hermit kingdom weather forecasts and other relevant information segments through the radio news service.

The VOA found through defector testimonies that the weather forecasts provided by the KMA and VOA offer much help, as the country lacks other forms of meteorological forecasts.

The VOA first started broadcasting in Korean in 1942, after a proposal from the late President Syngman Rhee.

The Korean broadcast is largely targeted to North Koreans, but the demographic also includes ethnic Koreans living in China.

According to a survey by the VOA, one out of every 10 North Koreans listens to the broadcast at least once a week.

The headquarters, based out of Washington D.C., transmits in 44 different languages, with over 123 million listeners a week.

(robert@heraldcorp.com)