Edward Cannon, president and CEO of Far East Broadcasting Company (FEBC), smiles during an interview with The Korea Times at The Heaven Resort on Daebu Island off Korea's west coast near Ansan, Gyeonggi Province, Monday. The interdenominational faith-based radio network is hosting its annual International Council Conference on the island until Friday. Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul

Since its inception in 1945, the Far East Broadcasting Company (FEBC), a faith-based radio network, has maintained a mission to spread the Gospel through local voices and indigenous channels to reach the farthest corners of the world.

Today, its broadcasts are heard in 152 languages airing from 260 stations and transmitters worldwide, spanning locations from Ukraine and Vietnam to South Africa.

In Korea, its first shortwave broadcast took place on Dec. 23, 1956, shortly after the 1950-53 Korean War. Presently, the transmitter stations — situated on Daebu Island, off the west coast of Korea near Ansan, Gyeonggi Province and on Jeju Island — extend their reach beyond the peninsula, encompassing listeners in neighboring countries, including North Korea, China and Russia.

And it is here on Daebu Island that the Christian network has returned for its annual International Council Conference (ICC) from April 15 to 19.

While FEBC grants ministries in individual countries full autonomy in how they communicate the Gospel to their local listeners, the ICC serves as a gathering where they come together to share best practices, strategize and rally support from the international body to provide financial and managerial resources to smaller ministries and fields.

The five-day event, attended by some 90 FEBC and FEBA (Far East Broadcasting Association) country directors and board chairpersons from 23 nations and territories, marks the largest edition of the conference to date.

It also represents the interdenominational ministry's first meeting held in Korea since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, following the last Seoul gathering in 2017.

"Seven years is a long enough time not to have been in Korea. We have welcomed a number of new directors and board chairs within FEBC [since then]. And we think it's very important for them to see the success that FEBC-Korea has generated over 50 years of service," Edward Cannon, president and CEO of FEBC, shared with The Korea Times during an interview at The Heaven Resort on the island, Monday.

"Coming here gives them the opportunity to see the breadth and extent of the ministry that they've provided in Korea, so as to be an example to set for other fields."

The five-day International Council Conference 2024, attended by some 90 FEBC and FEBA country directors and board chairpersons from 23 nations and territories, marks its largest edition to date. Courtesy of FEBC-Korea

This year's ICC, themed "FEBC's Next 50 Years — Our Mandate to Lead," highlights three key agenda items: the constructive use of digital technology as an outreach tool, the importance of strategic thinking and planning and the significance of effective board governance.

"These topics are all looking ahead to the future, focusing on how we can continue improving the work we're doing. And they're all aligned with our goal of training young, emerging leaders from each country for the next generation," the president noted.

"We're training the group of people who, in 25 years, are going to sit in these very seats. Not providing this guidance would be derelict on our part because we have to think about the future, not just the present."

In the age of the internet and with a heightened emphasis on visual media, one pivotal strategy for FEBC to expand its footprint and remain "nimble and agile" has been to invest in disseminating its faith-based content across multiple digital platforms.

Initially established as a shortwave radio broadcaster, the network has since evolved to incorporate different modes of content distribution to engage broader audiences, including AM/FM radio, internet radio, podcasts, YouTube and social media.

"In some remote regions, say, the northern areas of Southeast Asia, shortwave radio is still very effective. We often say that the shortwave is the mechanism which draws people in, but it's social media that provides in-depth teaching and content," Cannon said.

"It also allows them to respond. In the old days, when it was only a radio broadcast, FEBC was talking to our listeners, but now through social media platforms, we're having a two-way conversation."

Edward Cannon, president and CEO of FEBC, speaks during an interview with The Korea Times at The Heaven Resort on Daebu Island, Monday. Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul

This year's conference includes dedicated sessions for praying for other countries, including war-torn Ukraine.

FEBC, which once operated nine stations in the Eastern European country, lost control of two — one destroyed during attacks and one seized by the Russian government.

Some of the Ukrainian ministry's staff members, including the director, have evacuated their families, while they themselves have returned to the war zone to continue their mission.

"That's a level of valor that I think few in this world understand," the president remarked.

"The war, as horrible as it is with deaths, destruction and suffering, has allowed FEBC to make a closer connection to people who are truly seeking some spiritual hope."