Petition for Reciprocal Operating Agreement between the U.S. and Korea

By that logic pretty much ANY issue is more important than ham radio... come on guys! I think there are more trolls per capita in ham radio than in any other hobby, bar none.

 

I think you are on to something there...

 

Seriously, a sub band for DX?

Ok, why not a sub band for NPOTA, Nets, SOTA, mobile ops, or Ragchews or anything for that matter?

Still it makes a change from people moaning about contests I suppose

What is it that you want to do with the ‘wasted spectrum’ and why is what you want to do more important than what others clearly want? If DX stations take up spectrum and spend thousands going places or residents of far flung countries spending fortunes on their station it is clearly to fulfil a desire for others to work them, if nobody cared they wouldn’t do it and pile ups would not exist and then you would be happy.

 

I believe he said, "Get off my lawn!"

 

Reciprocal agreements are not treaties. These are the kind of things that are worked out and approved at the cabinet or sub-cabinet levels. Hammering out and approving these kinds of agreements are part of the daily function of every government and I seriously doubt the South Korean government will in any way be distracted from their focus to the north by a bunch of ham radio operators looking for operating privileges.

 

Just signed it Dale. Was HL9GN when I was there. I'd hate to see this wonderful opportunity taken away from others arbitrarily. It's not like nobody can work this issue there because of the current political situation. What? There's only one person running the South Korean Government there?Ignore the trolls and good luck. Guy, WB5UAA

 

HL1ZII / W4JSG here... one of those immediately affected by the change, with my 5-year permit expiring this December. Not sure yet about paying the $90 for a six month extension.

Since I'm long-term in Korea, I probably should tackle the Korean ham exam and get a full-fledged Korean license. I have some Korean language to work with, so that will be possible, though not easy. No one publishes study guides, and in fact the question pool is only distributed among hams. The government doesn't do much to help, but takes an attitude of "You can get the license, but you're on you're own." They do have a code requirement, too, I believe.

The reciprocal agreement will happen sooner or later. It's not a serious diplomatic issue. The reasons given for the Korean government's reluctance seem to have nothing to do with any geopolitics or anything like that. It's easy to sit in your radio shack and imagine all sorts of lofty reasons, but it probably comes down to one certain official -- a certain Mr. Shin at the Korean Communications Agency -- being too busy to care. He specifically cited the time he has to spend promoting new 5G cellphone tech, which is more economically viable than ham radio, by far. He did say that he would get to this ham licensing matter later this year, which kind of like "maybe tomorrow" in English or Spanish, but it will happen. As the first respondent said, "Just work the issue." Patience is key.

I sent a long email letter to Mr. Shin when the issue first broke, and I re-sent again this week. I also signed the petition online.

I sent a Korean translation of that letter to a Korean ham to check. He said the Korean was fine, and he did not see any problems with inappropriate or disrespectful language. In fact, he said, under the circumstances, assertiveness and clarity seem appropriate.

Also, the petition that AC7NP has sent everyone to sign is actually a translation of a letter written BY a Korean to the same Mr. Shin, protesting the process that the official followed, with NO consultation with anyone in the ham radio community, Korean or foreign, so it does not ONLY reflect the the frustration of the foreigners. This change will likely disrupt some very active exchanges in this community.

I'm posting the letter I wrote to Mr. Shin below. Any Korean readers here are also welcome to respond:

Dear Mr. Shin,
My name is John S. Grimmett. I am licensed to operate in the Republic of Korea as HL1ZII, under a five-year permit, expiring this December 2018. I am a professor of English at the University of Seoul, where I have worked since 2013. I have lived and worked in Korea for 25 years.

About the three month permit:
Like everyone in the foreign amateur radio community, as well as many Korean amateur radio operators, I am very disappointed and frustrated by the abrupt change in policy from a five-year permit program to a mere three-month permit. On one hand, I respect your decision, as it does eliminate one form of discrimination in the licensing system, creating a more fair environment for all.
However, I also think you should be aware of the ham radio community here and what we do. The fact is that very few of us are tourists. We do not pass into or out of this country on tourist visas; most foreign ham radio operators live here permanently, or at least for a number of years before returning to our own countries. We work with the U.S. military, diplomatic corps, or as university professors, or with multinational companies. We are permanent here with families, many of us with Korean spouses and children born in Korea.
:
The five-year permit has made it possible not only to be fully active as hams, but also fully engaged with Korean hams. None of these activities would be possible, certainly not easy, without the five-year permit, or at least a one-year permit. Allow me to list some of these activities:

Our activities:
(1) With HL1FB as primary and control operator, we operate a foreign-language / international repeater on 70cm. We speak not only with other foreigners, but also with Koreans who would like to communicate directly with the foreign ham radio community.

(2) On that repeater, we operate an internet-radio linking station that enables us to communicate with repeaters around the world. I am currently the control operator for this linking station, but it is a community project, and operation may pass to others in the future. Meanwhile, the equipment for operating this node remains in South Korea, under the care of the foreign language community. This node would not be possible with a transient three-month permit. There would be no incentive for doing so, and no one would be sure whether they could remain licensed long enough to maintain it. The five-year permit has allowed us to remain stable to operate this kind of project.

(3) Under the five year permit, many of us have been able to develop and install large antenna systems enabling us to communicate reliably all over the world. Under a three-month permit, however, our operations become portable, as from a car or hotel room. While developing these antennas, we consult with Korean hams to find out what works for them, and we purchase many of our antenna parts and supplies on the local market.

(4) Under the five-year permit, we contribute to the local economy. You perhaps have not considered that a three-month permit will not encourage, and may even block, participation in the local ham radio trade. Half of my station was purchased at one store located in Namyangju, and I intend to consult that dealer for future purchases, as well. I would not have had incentive to do any of this under a transitory three-month permit.

(5) We also contribute to the local radio market by attending Korean equipment fairs, or “junkshops,” where we often buy parts, and sometimes whole radios. But more importantly, we meet Korean hams face-to-face to socialize and compare experiences.

(6) At least one ham radio operator, Jason Vlasak, HL4ZFA, has invested considerable time and effort with Koreans, using the Korean language, and guiding radio amateurs on hikes into the mountains with their portable equipment; this activity is call SOTA, or Summits on the Air, a worldwide ham-radio project.

Now that you can see how integrated we are in Korean amateur radio, perhaps you can reconsider your abrupt decision to stop all of this with your three-month permit policy. Most find it rash, and it seems to have been made by someone who is not in touch with the community that the decision affects.

Reciprocal Agreement with the U.S.:
Now, going forward, it is a good idea to establish fairness in licensing. The best way to do this would be to seek bilateral reciprocal agreements with the countries of those who are affected by this change. First of all, you would need to establish an agreement with the United States, since nearly all the affected foreign radio amateurs are licensed in that country. Members of our community, particularly Mr. Dale Tongue, HL1ZCQ, have already begun reaching out to the U.S. Embassy in Seoul to find out how to obtain this agreement. The embassy has given Mr. Tongue some instructions, a list of documentation that they need to begin communicating between governments. He will present this information to you soon, so that you will be able to work with the U.S. government quickly and more easily.

Please create this reciprocal agreement as soon as you possibly can. It would be best to do so, so that the foreign ham community does not lose their licenses in Korea, but we can make a smooth, seamless transition.

Thank you for reading my long email. I hope that this information will help you to understand our community better, so that you or others in your agency will include us in your future considerations.

Very best regards,
John S. Grimmett
HL1ZII
W4JSG

Korean translation follows:

친애하는 신성생님,

제 이름은 John S. Grimmett입니다. 나는 5 년 허가하에 대한민국에서 HL1ZII 자격으로 2018 년 12 월에 만료된다. 2013 년부터 일해 온 서울 대학교 영어 교수이다. 나는 한국에 25 년 동안 살았고 일했습니다.

3 개월 허가 :

외국 아마추어 라디오 공동체뿐만 아니라 많은 아마추어 무선 통신 사업자들과 마찬가지로 나는 갑작스런 정책 변경으로 인해 5 년 허가 프로그램에서 불과 3 개월 허가로 매우 실망하고 좌절했습니다. 한 편, 나는 라이센싱 시스템에서 차별의 한 형태를 제거하여 모든 사람들을위한보다 공정한 환경을 조성하므로 귀하의 결정을 존중합니다.

그러나, 나는 또한 여기 햄 라디오 공동체와 우리가하는 일을 알고 있어야한다고 생각합니다. 사실 우리 중 극소수만이 관광객입니다. 우리는 관광 비자로이 나라 안팎을 여행하지 않습니다. 대부분의 외국 햄 라디오 방송국은 영구적으로 또는 적어도 몇 년 동안 우리 나라로 돌아 오기 전에 이곳에 살고 있습니다. 우리는 미군, 외교 부대 또는 대학교 수 또는 다국적 기업과 협력합니다. 우리는 한국인 배우자들과 한국에서 태어난 아이들과 함께 많은 가족들과 함께 이곳에 오래갑니다.

5 년의 허가로 햄으로서의 활약이 가능할뿐만 아니라 한국 햄과의 만남도 가능하게되었습니다. 5 년 허가 또는 적어도 1 년 허가없이 이러한 활동 중 어느 것도 가능할 수는 없지만 확실히 쉬운 일은 아닙니다. 다음 활동 중 일부를 열거하십시오 :

우리의 활동 :

(1) 우리는 HL1FB를 기본 및 제어 운영자로하여 70cm에 외국어 / 국제 중계기를 운영합니다. 우리는 다른 외국인들과 이야기 할뿐만 아니라 외국 햄 라디오 공동체와 직접 의사 소통하고자하는 한국인들과도 이야기합니다.

(2) 해당 중계기에서 우리는 전세계의 중계기와 통신 할 수있는 인터넷 라디오 연결 스테이션을 운영합니다. 나는 현재이 연결 스테이션을위한 제어 운영자이지만 커뮤니티 프로젝트이며 향후 다른 사람들에게 작업이 전달 될 수 있습니다. 그 사이에,이 마디를 운영하기를위한 장비는 외국 언어 지역 사회의 배려의 밑에 한국에서, 남아있다. 이 노드는 일시적인 3 개월 허가와 함께 가능하지 않습니다. 그렇게 할 동기가 없으며, 아무도 그들이 그것을 유지할 수있는 충분한 면허를 유지할 수 있는지 여부를 확신 할 수 없습니다. 5 년 허가로 인해 우리는 이런 종류의 프로젝트를 운영하기에 안정적으로 머무를 수있었습니다.

(3) 5 년 허가하에, 우리 중 많은 사람들이 전세계 안테나를 신뢰할 수있게 통신 할 수있는 대형 안테나 시스템을 개발하고 설치할 수있었습니다. 그러나 3 개월간의 허가를 받으면 자동차 나 호텔 방 에서처럼 업무가 이식 가능해진다. 이 안테나를 개발하는 동안 우리는 한국 햄과상의하여 그들에게 맞는 것을 찾아 내고, 우리는 안테나 시장에서 많은 안테나 부품과 소모품을 구입합니다.

(4) 5 년 허가하에, 우리는 지역 경제에 기여합니다. 아마도 3 개월 허가가 지역 햄 라디오 거래에 참여하도록 장려하거나 방해하지 않을 것이라고 생각하지 않았을 것입니다. 내 역 중 절반은 남양주에있는 한 매장에서 구매 했으므로 향후 구매를 위해 해당 딜러와 상담 할 예정입니다. 나는 일시적인 3 개월 허가하에이 일을 할 인센티브가 없었을 것이다.

(5) 우리는 또한 한국의 장비 박람회 또는 부품을 구입하는 "정크 션 (junkshops)", 때로는 전체 라디오에 참석하여 지역 라디오 시장에 기여합니다. 그러나 더 중요한 것은 얼굴을 마주 보며 한국인 햄을 만난 경험을 경험하고 비교하는 것입니다.

(6) 적어도 한명의 햄 라디오 운영자 인 Jason Vlasak, HL4ZFA는 한국어를 사용하여 한국인들에게 상당한 시간과 노력을 투자했으며 휴대용 장비로 산 속으로 라디오 아마추어들을 안내했다. 이 활동은 전세계의 햄 무선 프로젝트 인 SOTA, 즉 Summits on the Air를 호출합니다.

이제는 아마추어 라디오에 얼마나 통합되어 있는지 알 수 있으므로 3 개월 허가 정책을 통해이 모든 것을 중단하라는 갑작스러운 결정을 재고 할 수 있습니다. 대부분은 발진이 있으며 의사 결정에 영향을주는 커뮤니티와 접촉하지 않는 사람이 만든 것처럼 보입니다.

미국과의 상호 합의 :

자, 앞으로, 라이센스에 공정성을 확립하는 것이 좋습니다. 이를 행하는 가장 좋은 방법은이 변화의 영향을받는 사람들의 국가들과 양자 간 상호 협정을 찾는 것입니다. 우선, 영향을받는 외국 라디오 아마추어 거의 모두가 그 나라에서 면허를 취득 했으므로 미국과 합의를해야합니다. 우리 지역 사회의 회원, 특히 데일 탕 (Dale Tongue) HL1ZCQ는 이미이 협약을 얻는 방법을 찾기 위해 이미 주한 미국 대사관에 연락하기 시작했습니다. 대사관은 Tongue 씨에게 정부 간 의사 소통을 시작하는 데 필요한 문서 목록을 제공했습니다. 이 정보는 조만간 알려 드릴 것이므로 신속하고 간편하게 미국 정부와 협력 할 수 있습니다.
가능한 한 빨리이 상호 계약을 만드십시오. 외국인 햄 커뮤니티가 한국에서 면허를 잃지 않도록하는 것이 가장 좋지만 원활하고 원활하게 전환 할 수 있습니다.
긴 이메일을 읽어 주셔서 감사합니다. 이 정보가 귀하의 지역 사회를 더 잘 이해하는 데 도움이되기를 바랍니다. 귀하 또는 귀하의 에이전시에있는 다른 사람들이 귀하의 향후 고려 사항에 우리를 포함시킬 수 있기를 바랍니다.
John S. Grimmett
HL1ZII
W4JSG

 

Well, you have a point about numbers. I count not more than 40 HL*Z** callsigns assigned to non-Japanese, right here on QRZ.com. HL*Z is the prefix given to all non-Korean licensees. The 5-year permit is based on a reciprocal agreement with Japan, so they are OK.

But there are likely many who have not signed up on QRZ.com. There are a very small number, as well, who don't use the HL*Z**, but use an HL*/ special prefix. HL2/F4AAR comes to mind. And then there may be several registered on LOTW, but not on this site.

I could send an email to the foreign liaison at KARL asking for an exact number of non-Japanese with the HL*Z callsigns, but my guess is no more than 100.

 

Everyone PLEASE NOTE:

The text of this petition is a direct translation from Korean, written by a Korean ham radio operator well-known in our community. It is the text of an email that the Korean operator sent to "Mr. Shin," the official responsible for the decision.

As such, those who sign this petition do not need to worry that they may be offending the South Korean government or other South Koreans. The views, attitudes, and examples in the petition reflect those of the Koreans.

 

Through research into this question, we have learned that the five-year permit to all foreign-licensed hams grew out of an existing reciprocal agreement between South Korea and Japan. Japanese citizens were the first to receive these callsigns, and then about 10 or 15 years ago, the Korean license authority decided to go ahead and generously grant the permits to all foreigners who showed a license from another country. Japanese hams will continue to receive five-year permits.

The permits were given in practice, but not under policy. Then, an official (Mr. Shin) at the licensing authority decided to make policy and practice match, which of course is a good thing to do. We believe the practice would have continued except that one Korean ham tried to operate in the U.S. under the mistaken idea that the two countries had a reciprocal agreement. After he complained about this to the Korean authority, the official in charge ordered an immediate end to the practice.

There is another issue that our Mr. Shin mentioned in response to a Korean ham (HL1FB) who complained about the change: Some Korean citizens MAY have used the generous permit policy to obtain a U.S. FCC license through tests given in South Korea (KARL has offered them), then use that FCC license to obtain the five year permit. Why? If they can read technical English, they can pass the exam, use study guides and question pools from ARRL and other sources, and pay a much lower license fee. There are no published study guides for Korean licenses, though some materials and pools are circulated informally by hams.

Our search through public license records does not reveal any evidence that Korean hams would have done this. Koreans who take the FCC exams are looking to operate in the U.S., not to circumvent licensing in their own country.

Another point that HL1FB raised to the government official was that the government might instead address its own concerns that Koreans would try to circumvent what appears to be an extremely difficult and costly testing procedure. An FCC exam clearly looks more reasonable.

Likewise, most foreign hams have long believed that an ROK-US reciprocal agreement was already in place, and that we were being given these permits under that agreement.

Now, we all just want to go forward. It's not just for our own selfish convenience, though that's the trigger, but for the sake of the globalization that South Korea strives for.

 

The root of this whole discussion is the fact the Unites States doesn't issue temporary operating permits to Korean nationals. So, instead of just picking on the Korean government, we should strongly encourage our own to work toward a reciprocal operating agreement with Korea. In that vein, I went the the FCC web site, and sent the following message to Ajit Pai, the FCC Chairman:

--------------------- BEGIN ---------------------
Dear Chairman Pai,

I am an American licensed amateur radio operator ("ham"). My call sign is AG6ZZ.

I'm sure you're aware of the benefits hams provide communities throughout the world, providing emergency communications, using their own expensive radio gear, at no charge. For example, hams continue to be critical during the widespread power outages in Puerto Rico in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria. We work together everyday with law enforcement, search and rescue teams, the Red Cross, CERT teams, and so on. For well over a hundred years, hams have been at the forefront of new technologies, such as telephony, television, antenna design, microwave transmission, and even special effects electronics for music. Astronauts on the International Space Station communicate to earth stations regularly using amateur radio.

Traveling to international destinations and operating amateur radios in such places is very popular among hams worldwide; especially American hams. The Republic of Korea has been generous to have a policy which permits foreign hams to get issued a temporary operator permit without having to be licensed in that country. Unfortunately, the United States has no such policy to issue temporary operator permits to Korean nationals. This issue has lately become a hot topic within the American ham community, and the consensus I've observed is a desire for a reciprocal operating agreement.

I urge you to work with the Korea Communications Commission ("KCC") to enact a reciprocal operating agreement for Korean and American hams operating in each other's countries. This will be a win-win for Americans and Koreans.

Respectfully yours,
Robert Morris
--------------------- END ---------------------

I encourage all to write to Chairman Pai, using your own words, encouraging him to prioritize a reciprocal operating agreement with South Korea.

 

That's a great gesture, as well, Robert. Thank you for working at that end.

Dale Tongue, AC7NP, can fill us in on what the U.S. government has done so far in this regard. They have actually sent documents to the Korean agency, which is currently under the Ministry of Technology and Information (name changes every time there is a new president here). Both the State Department and the FCC have been involved at some level. I'm not sure which of the two agencies finally sent the required documents to the Korean side, though.

 

K3XR ...."Did the old agreement expire if so when, or was it revoked for some reason ? Did read the link to the petition."

My original question(s) dealt with a timeline for all of this and did not notice any dates mentioned in your reply.

 

I don't have any specific dates at this point. But my answer should provide a general sense of how it all unfolded. HL1FB was the one who told me how this all began, with the Korean licensing authority starting to give permits to everyone from overseas, not just Japanese. It seems to have started around 2000 or 2002, based on some posts HL1FB made to the KARL English website regarding the change at that time.

I'll confirm the times more, if you think that will help.

 

The timeline is important in this respect you have posters on this thread to borrow a term from the urban dictionary attempting to "throw shade" on an administration for political reasons.

KQ6XA......
"With USA's new ego-driven treaty and trade, rather than fact-based, it isn't surprising that asian countries would pull back their cards in the ham radio reciprocal licensing game.
Honestly, I wouldn't expect any change to the South Korea reciprocal licensing situation until after the end of the current USA administration.
Sorry to say it, but, if you look at this from the asian point of view, currently USA isn't a stable partner for treaty and trade."

If you are going to make these claims back it up with a time line of ...
A. When did the SK reciprocal licensing method end or change.
B. When did, quoting AC7NP......"one particular SK ham who couldn't operate in the U.S. and complained to the Korean Amateur Radio League" take place.