Ri Chun-gu

Ri Chun-gu (; April 12, 1942 – ) 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. Ri debuted with The Heat Management Ball.

He later became one of the most influential writers in North Korean cinema, Pulgasari (1985; albeit uncredited), A Broad Bellflower (1987), and Traces of Life (1989). He also wrote an important part of the Nation and Destiny (1992–2002) 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 yanggang Province. His crime is that he dared to speak against Kim Jong-il’s wishes."

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 Fourteenth Winter (1980) Snow Melts in Spring (1985) The Girls of Jangsan-ri (1985) Revolutionary (1985) The Birth of a New Government (1986) A Broad Bellflower (1987) Guarantee (1987) The Sun of the Nation (1987-1991) [with Paek In Jun] Ask Yourself (1988) Man Remaining in Our Heart (1989) Traces of Life (1989) A Life Full of Ups and Downs (1989-1990) You, In My Heart (1990) The Girls in My Hometown (1991) The Symphonic Poem for Seniors (1991) The Filial Daughter (1991) Nation and Destiny Parts 1-4: Choe Hyon Dok (1992) [with Choe Sang Gun, Sin Sang Ho, Pak Chong Ryong, Kim Yong Jun, and Hyon Sang Mu] Nation and Destiny Parts 5-8: Yun Sang Min (1992) [with Choe Sang Gun, Sin Sang Ho, Ri Hui Chan, O Jin Hung, and Ri Dok Yun] Nation and Destiny Parts 9-10: Cha Hong Gi (1992) [with Choe Sang Gun, Sin Sang Ho, Jang Rye Sun, and Kim Se Ryun] Nation and Destiny Parts 11-13: Hong Yong Ja (1992) [with Choe Sang Gun, Sin Sang Ho, Jang Rye Sun, and Kim Se Ryun] Nation and Destiny Parts 14-16: Ri Jong Mo (1993) [with Choe Sang Gun, Sin Sang Ho, Ri Hui Chan, and Ri Dok Yun] Nation and Destiny Parts 17-19: Ho Jong Sun (1994) [with O Jin Hung, Hyon Sang Mu, and Ryu Bu Yon] Nation and Destiny Parts 20-25: Naturalized Japanese Women (1995) [with O Jin Hung, Ryu Bu Yon, and O Hyon Rak) Nation and Destiny Parts 26-36: Workers (1995-1998) [with Ri Dok Yun, Hong Sun Bok, and Pak Chol Ryong] The Secretary in Charge of Taehongdan County (1997-2001) [with Ri Dok Yun, and O Hyon Rak] A Forest is Swaying (1997) [with O Jin Hung] The Bloodstained Mark (1998) Nation and Destiny Parts 46-51: Choe Hyon (1999-2000) [with Ri Dok Yun, and O Hyon Rak] Nation and Destiny Parts 52-56: People of the Past, Present and Future (2000-2001) [with O Jin Hung, and Pak Jong Ju]