The North Korean Government's Control Over Literary Art And
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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.