The North Korean Government’s Control
Over Literary Art and Imprisonment of Writers
(Jang Haesung)
1. The North Korean Government’s Control of Literary Art
North Korea has a set of laws that trumps even itsconstitutional law, supposedly the basis of all law. The “Ten Principles for the Establishment of the One-Ideology
System” was officially announced by Kim Jong Il in April 1974. Accordingly, there may be situations where leniency or forgivenesswas granted forviolations of laws deriving from the constitution, while absolutely nothing of the sort was permitted when any of the Ten Principles were broken.
Article 7, Clause 4 of the “Ten Principles for the Establishment of the One-Ideology
System” states the following: “Deliberately use the guidelines of the Great Leader when preparing reports, discussions, lectures or printed materials, and eliminate any words or sectionsthat arecontrary to his instructions.” This was the command of
North Korea’s dictator; the Nation’s press, publication, and literary art are all strictly bound by theseprinciples.
The hierarchy is declared to be as follows:
Korean Workers’ Party Central Committee
Organizational Management
Propaganda and Agitation Department
Direct Institution of the Propaganda and Agitation Department
1) Publication Guidance Bureau –the agency that organizes and guides
publishers and newspapers to function smoothly according to the ideas and
intent of the nation’s dictator. It provides directions on what all publishers and
media should publish, and how it is done.
2) Publication Censorship Bureau – the agency that censors all publications and
media coverage to ensure that the dictator’s ideas and intentions are
accurately communicated.
- Affiliates of the Propaganda and Agitation Department
1) Newspaper section –controls and supervises all newspapers including the
RodongSinmun, MinjuChoson and TongilSinbo. 2) Communication section –controls the whole communication sector, including
the Chosun Central News Agency.
3) Broadcasting section –controls all broadcasting agencies including Chosun
Central Broadcasting, Chosun Central Television and Chosun Central
Channel #3.
4) Literature section –controls central literary production units, including the April
15 Literary Production Unit and Chosun Literary Production Unit.
5) Film section – controls the projects and affairs of the Chosun Art Film Study,
February8 Cinema Study, Documentary Film Studio and Scenario Production
Unit.
6) Theatre section –controls affairs and organizations related to all stage art.
(Numerous other departments are organized to control every other aspect of
propaganda.)
The literary section controls the whole process of creative production and publication, starting from the planning phase of the writers’ creative activities.
2. The Literary Art Production Organizations of North Korean
Writers
- Affiliation of North Korean Writers
All writers in North Korea should be a member of the Chosun Writers’ Union. Therefore,a North Korean writer iseither an affiliated writer or anemployed writer.
AffiliatedWriters
- April 15 Literary Production Unit (a production unit specialized in idolizing
Kim Il-sung, Kim Jong-il and Kim Jong-un)
- Chosun Literary Production Unit (includes writers of the Pyongyang
Production Unit and other local production units)
Employed Writers
Writers affiliated with Chosun Central Broadcasting (including television), People’s
Safety Agency, National Security Agency and Kim Il-sung University, who produce work according to these agencies’ needs.
Production Planning
North Korean writers work strictly by the established production plan, and, starting from the planning phase, they are required to receive approval of the supremeleader through the Literature Department of the Korean Workers’ Party Central Committee.
In particular, medium- and full-length novels as well as TV scenarios canbe undertaken only after undergoing the scrutiny of the supreme leader.
Short works of other genres such as poetry, memoirs, essays, children’s stories, and fables are should receive general approval, and individual approval is not a necessity.
Writing Activity Most affiliated North Korean writers can write in the writing studio called Usanjang, which is located in Yonchon-gun County of South Pyongan Province. On the other hand, employed writers do their work in their respective agencies.
Review of Written Works
Reviews basically focus on whether the finished works have sufficiently reflected the supreme leader’s instructions. Literary value is assessed once the initial criteria are met. Although all the reviewedworks are literature, some with somewhat less literary value may be permitted while no work that go against the supreme leader’s intentions will ever be published.
Censorship
Even literary works cannot escape being censored. Works are also censored strictly based on how they meet the intentions of the supreme leader. If the creative work has even a small part that is deemed different from the leader’s instructions, it not only fails to pass the national censorship but the writer may be barred from creating any more works, and may even be subjected to judicial scrutiny.
3. Political Persecution and Imprisonment of North Korean
Writers
1) The North Korean Administration’s Political Oppression of Writers The political oppression of North Korean writers has been exercised along with the purgation of party officials. The first such purge (1951-1955) eliminated Park Heon- young and Lee Seung-yup who were members of the South Korean Workers’
Party.Among the hundreds of writers from South Korea, most including Lim Hwa,
Lee Tae-jun, Kim Nam-cheon and Sol Jeong-sik were removed.
In the second purge(August 1956-October 1960), most writers from the Soviet Union and China were expelled. The third purge (May 1967-January 1969)eliminated many other writers including those that pursued socialist realism; Park Pal-yang,
Park Se-young, Han Hyo, HanSolya, Song Young, Lee Won-wu, and Park Woong- gol were some of the writers who were purged at that time.
In the fourth purge (Kim Jong-il era, mid 1970s through late 1980s) most of the writers who were uncooperative to the regime or refused to deify Kim Il-sung were removed. In those days, Kim Jong-il devoted himself into deifying Kim Il-sung and gradually started to idolize himself.The writers purged at that time include Hwang
Geon (author of the novels Gaema Plateau and The Burning Island, and Min Byung- gyun (novelist).These measures enabled Kim Jong-il to fully take hold of North
Korea’s literary art scene and build the foundation for deifying Kim Il-sung.
2) The Supreme Leader’s Manipulation of the Literary Landscape
First, Kim Jong-il turned the overall direction of the nation’s literary art to focus on deifying Kim Il-sung.
- The most capable writers from the Chosun Literary Production Unit were
selected to newly form the April 15 Literary Production Unit, which
specialized in creative works that deified Kim Il-sung.The series “The History
of Immortality” andits sequels“The Guerrilla Base in Spring,”“The Fields are
Green,”“Arduous March” and “The Tumen River Area.”
- Even the writers who did not belong to the April 15 Literary Production Unit
had to basically devote themselves to deifying Kim Il-sung.
- To control the projects and lives of writers, the regime required all writers to
attend self-criticism sessions and group studies on a regular and frequent
basis so that the artists could not attempt to conceive any ideas to write any
other sort of work. Inevitably, the writers became discontented with the
government and their hunger for freedom of creation grew.
4. Purged and Imprisoned Writers
- In 1978 Song Young, a member of the KAPF(Korea Artistic Proletarian
Federation), was imprisoned. This was because of what had happened at the
wake for Lee Won-woo, another member of KAPF. After a few drinks, Song
unwittingly revealed his inner thoughts. He said, “Hey Won-woo, I envy you because you don’t have to attend party review meetings and study groups
anymore.” His comment was reported to Kim Jong-il, and Song was deported to
a political prisoner camp. No one knows what became of him after that.
- In the 1980s Lee Jin-woo, a North Korean master of film literature was imprisoned
as a political prisoner. Along with Lee Chun-gu, he was the most distinguished
scenario writer in North Korea at the time. The details of his alleged wrongdoing
are unknown; rumors claim that Lee confessed his grievance against Kim Jong-il’s
literary policies. When a person is arrested, no account is given to the public, even
to the person’s family.Anyway, he wrote dozens of scenarios including “Nameless
Hero,” but while writing part 4 of “The Red Maple Leaf,” he was quietly arrested
and confined to a political prison.
- In 1992 Hyun Seung-gol, the head of April 15 Literary Production Unit, and Choi
Hak-soo were arrested and imprisoned.It was said that once over a few drinks
Choi Hak-soo said, “Will the time come when we would be able to write what we
want?” Then Hyun Seung-gol replied, “This can’t continue forever. Let’s wait and
see. May be that time will come someday.”Their conversation was reported to
Kim Jong-il by Park Yu-hak, who was the party secretary of April 15 Production
Unit. Hyun and Choi were immediately deported to the Yodeok Concentration
Camp, the political prison no.15 located in South Hamgyong Province. However,
no works deifying Kim Il-sung were produced because Hyun and Choi, the two most distinguished writers of April 15, were both imprisoned. So Kim Jong-il
finally ordered their release and imprisoned Park Yu-hak, also another
accomplished writer, instead.In the end, Hyun ended his own life because he
could not bear the life at the concentration camp, and only Choi was released.
- Song Gum-chol, a writer working for Chosun Central Broadcasting, was
imprisoned in October of 1995. Details of his circumstances are unknown but
there are only speculations that he might have expressed opinions against Kim
Jong-il’s theory of writing literature.
- Around 2007 Kim Jin-sung, a prominent North Korean novelistfamous for his
novel, “At the First Foot”, was imprisoned.Details of his arrest are unknown but
rumors suggest that he and the Railway Minister were connected to the
Ryongchon train disaster.
- In 2008, North Korea’s most distinguished film writer Lee Chun-gu was
arrested and put in prison. The official reasons for his imprisonment remains
unknown. However, rumors claim that he was unreceptive of Kim Jong-il’s
instructions for modification of his scenario.It was said that he responded by
saying, “In scenario writing, I think I would be better than the Dear Leader,
not worse.”Enraged by Lee’s comment, Kim Jong-il was said to have ordered Lee’s immediate imprisonment. Such incidents cannot be helped because in
North Korea, everything is decided by Kim’s words.
- Around 2006 novelist Cho Jae-heung was put into a political prison. Cho had
served as the chief of the Ryanggang Province Writers’ Union and also
worked at the local and cultural desk of the RyanggangIlbo.
- In Pungseo-gun of Ryanggang Province resides the family of KAPF member
Han Solya. After Han’s purge, they were banished to that remote area and
have been living there ever since. The North Korean regime has since re-
evaluated Han Solya, vindicated his honor, and even enshrined him in the
patriotic martyrs’ grave located in Sinmiri of Pyongyang. The news shocked
Han’s old widow, and she died of a stroke.
- Also banished to Pungseo-gun was the family of Jeong Gu-in, the son of poet
Jeong Ji-yong. The poet was a former leader of the Nine Member Club, a
Korean literary group that was active during the Japanese colonial period. He
was evaluated as a reactionary poet, and so according to North Korea’s guilt-
by-association system, his son’s family was deported.
These are just some of the examples of North Korean government’s illegal arrest and imprisonment of writers; but since the country is one of the most isolated nationson earth, the exact situation is difficult to assess.Consequently,nothing is publicized even when these eventsactually take place. Still, rumors are circulated when important figures are purged or imprisoned.