Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG), which runs US international radio and TV channels Voice of America (VOA) and Radio Free Asia (RFA) among others, has recognised awards won by its journalists in 2013.

Among the winners, Radio Free Asia’s Korean reporter Jinkuk Kim picked up a New York Festivals radio award in the “Best Human Interest Story” category for his piece about North Korean refugees watching the U.S.-North Korea women’s soccer match in the 2012 London Olympics.

RFA also won a Gracie Award sponsored by the Alliance for Women in Media Foundation for its Cantonese language entry “Kidnapped Woman Reunites with Family”.

Shohret Hoshur of RFA’s Uyghur Service won the New York Festivals radio silver in the “Best Coverage of an Ongoing News Story” category.  There was praise for his investigation into the enforced disappearance of Uyghurs after deadly ethnic unrest in China’s Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region in July 2009.

Radio Free Afghanistan received a letter of appreciation for its promotion of human rights from the country’s Independent Human Rights Commission.

VOA’s Bill Workinger also received a Society of Professional Journalists award for local journalism.

BBG said the awards recognized journalists’ innovative use of technology, commitment to excellence and dedication to providing quality, unbiased information to audiences around the world.