Ri Chun-gu


Ri Chun-gu was a North Korean screenwriter who was allegedly imprisoned in 2008. One of the most famous and acclaimed screenwriters in North Korea, he was awarded the Order of Kim Il Sung, Kim Il Sung Prize, and earned the title of Hero of Labour twice.

Early life and career

Ri was born on April 12, 1942, in Pyongyang, at the time occupied by Japan and currently a part of North Korea. After leaving Pyongchon High School, he enrolled at Kim Il Sung University in 1963 and remained there for several years. According to Radio Free Asia, Ri first met Kim Jong Il in 1967; Kim was impressed by Ri's comments on how new screenwriters are treated and requested he start submitting scripts to him immediately. Ri debuted with The Heat Management Ball.
He later became one of the most influential writers in North Korean cinema, scripting films such as The Fourteenth Winter, Youthful Heart, Secretary in Charge of the County Party, Pulgasari, A Broad Bellflower, Man Remaining in Our Heart, and Traces of Life. He also wrote an important part of the Nation and Destiny film series.

Alleged imprisonment

A 2012 report from Radio Free Asia said that Ri had been "stripped of all his honorary positions and dismissed as a farm worker in Ryanggang Province|yanggang Province. His crime is that he dared to speak against Kim Jong-il’s wishes." In 2013, North Korean defectors included Ri on a list alleged to consist of writers in captivity in North Korea. The defectors claimed that he had been imprisoned under Kim Jong Il's orders in 2008 for infuriating Kim when they were discussing revision on a script.
In 2012, a defector told Johannes Schönherr in an interview that Ri had been sent to Ryanggang Province for hard labour following the 1989 release of Man Remaining in Our Heart, saying the film's premise "was considered too impure". The defector also says that this was the end of Ri's writing career, even though Ri went on to write about 60 films after 1989.

Death

His death was reported on June 15, 2023; a day after his funeral. The Korean Central News Agency stated: "Kim Jong Un sent a wreath to express his deep condolences on the death of comrade Ri Chun-gu, a writer of the Paekdu Mountain Creative Troupe who was a recipient of the Order of Kim Il-sung, the recipient of the Kim Il-sung Prize, and a double hero of labour."

Filmography