In early October, RFA Korean launched a new weekly show featuring prominent North Korean defector Ko Young Hwan. Ko defected from the North Korean embassy in Brazzaville, Congo in the early 1990s. The question-andanswer- style show takes on a variety of topics, including North Korea’s leadership succession, hunger, nuclear weapons, and the North Korean soccer team.

RFE/RL launched a new outreach initiative for Czech journalism students, “A Day with RFE/RL.” The first group of 12 Czech, Russian, K a z a k h , a n d G e r m a n communications and journalism students from New York University in Prague spent the day at RFE/RL’s broadcast center, where they participated in hands-on journalism training sessions, held discussions with journalists, observed editorial meetings, and met with RFE/RL President Jeffrey Gedmin.

VOA sponsored a journalist workshop and townhall meeting in Goma, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The townhall meeting featured speakers from local anti- AIDS and anti-malaria programs, a representative for epidemiology surveillance, and the provincial director of REGIDESO, the Congolese agency in charge of water. One attendee said, “We are very thankful to VOA. This is the first time a major international radio organizes such a meeting. We hope it will not be the last.”