The BBC will launch a new service targeted at North Korea next month amid escalating tensions over its nuclear missile tests. 

Francesca Unsworth, the director of BBC World Service, said in an interview with the Guardian on Sunday that the fragile political situation vindicates the launch despite opposition from the North. 

Unsworth said the North Korean embassy in London had told the BBC “in no uncertain terms” that they did not want the Korean service to be launched.

Korean is one of 12 new language services being launched by the BBC over the next few weeks. 

Half the Korean team will be based in London, with the other half in Seoul. At least one person on the team has a North Korean background.

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