Choe Ik-gyu
Choe Ik-gyu
| |
|---|---|
| Born | 26 February 1934
Hwadae County, North Hamgyong Province, Korea
|
| Nationality | North Korean |
| Education | Baccalaureate, Kim Hyong-jik Teachers' College (1954); Red Flag Mangyongdae Revolutionary School |
| Occupation | Film director, politician |
| Years active | 1955–present |
| Employer | Korea Film Studio |
Notable work
|
|
| Office | Minister of Culture |
| Term | 2003–2006 |
| Political party | Workers' Party of Korea |
| Children | 4 |
| Korean name | |
| Chosŏn'gŭl |
최익규
|
| Hancha |
崔益奎
|
| Revised Romanization | Choe Ik-gyu |
| McCune–Reischauer | Ch'oe Ik-kyu |
| Pseudonym | |
| Chosŏn'gŭl |
최상근
|
| Revised Romanization | Choe Sang-geun |
| McCune–Reischauer | Ch'oe Sang-gŭn |
Choe became the head of the Korea Film Studio in 1956 at age 22. By the time Kim Jong-il took over the country's film industry in 1968, Choe was the most experienced filmmaker of North Korea. Kim and Choe became close associates – Kim producing and Choe directing – a number of important North Korean films. Sea of Blood (1968) and The Flower Girl (1972) were "Immortal Classics" that, in addition to being popular successes, profoundly shaped the industry. By the end of the 1960s, Choe supervised film making in all of North Korea as the Propaganda and Agitation Department film section head. In 1972, his responsibilities covered other forms of North Korean propaganda as well after he was made the vice director of the Department.
In 1978, Kim had South Korea's famous director-actress couple Shin Sang-ok and Choi Eun-hee abducted to North Korea. Choe was tasked with aiding them to make films for North Korea. After Shin and Choi escaped in 1986 on a business trip in Vienna under Choe's watch, he was demoted. Kim Jong-il's trust in Choe would survive despite numerous incidents leading to the latter's dismissal from his posts. All in all, Choe has been sacked five times from the Propaganda and Agitation Department: first in 1969, then in 1977 as part of purges, in 1986 after the Vienna affair, in 1993, and finally 2010. He served as the country's Minister of Culture between 2003 and 2006. He finally became the head of the Propaganda and Agitation Department in 2009, but was replaced the following year. He remains a delegate to the Supreme People's Assembly.
Choe remained part of Kim's inner circle until the latter's death in 2011. Choe supported Kim's youngest son, Kim Jong-un's, ascension to the leadership of the country at a time when he was still an uncertain heir.
Contents
Early and personal life
Choe is married and has a son and three daughters. His eldest daughter Choe Il-sim is an aspiring scenario writer, having written scripts for the five-part movie series The Country I Saw (1988–).[6][7]
Career
Choe began working at the Korea Film Studio,[4] first as a deputy film director in 1955 and then as an independent director.[3][2] He became the head of the studio in 1956 at the age of just 22.[4] As a filmmaker, he was largely self-taught but aspiring.[2] In addition to his formal education in arts, he now had much experience with the Stalinist model of making films in particular.[8] Choe's breakthrough was the 1963 film A Garden Zinnia.[2]In 1968, Kim Jong-il, the country's future leader, took control of the country's film industry. Kim lacked experience in the field and so he teamed up with Choe,[9] who was much experienced by this time and was "[a]rguably the single North Korean most knowledgeable about film, other than Kim".[4] Choe became Kim's closest partner in his activities related to film;[9] his "film tutor". Their collaborations became immensely popular, Choe directing and Kim producing films that would become known as "Immortal Classics" and People's Prize winners.[8][10] The first film Choe and Kim made together was Sea of Blood (1968),[8][11] followed by Five Guerilla Brothers the same year. By the end of the decade, Choe had been appointed as a supervisor of the film industry section of the Propaganda and Agitation Department of the ruling Workers' Party of Korea.[2]
Mass games in Pyongyang, a recurring propaganda spectacle developed by Choe
Return to politics
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Korean revolutionary opera, an art Choe has been involved in as a director and cultural administrator
Choe became the Minister of Culture in September 2003 but retired temporarily some two years later because of diabetes and other chronic health issues.[29] He relinquished the position in 2006.[16] Choe was elected to the 12th Supreme People's Assembly on 8 March 2009,[29] representing Electoral District #73.[16] He finally became the head of the Propaganda and Agitation Department in 2009. As the director of the Department,[16] Choe was one of North Korea's propaganda chiefs.[30] He was replaced by Kang Nung-su in early February 2010 for unknown reasons.[31]
Choe was often seen accompanying Kim Jong-il on formal occasions until the latter's death in 2011.[8] When traveling outside North Korea, Choe uses the name Choe Sang-geun.[2] Such was the case for instance when he visited Seoul in South Korea in 2000 in the capacity of the counsel to the National Orchestra of North Korea.[32]
Succession of Kim Jong-un
Choe was among those who vouched for the succession of Kim Jong-un at a time when his ascension to power remained uncertain.[33]In addition to Kim Jong-il, Choe would aide Kim's third wife Ko Yong-hui, and Jang Song-thaek.[29]
Paul Fischer, the author of A Kim Jong-Il Production, assesses that "[t]he modern North Korean state, which is a production, a display performance of its own, owes as much to Choe Ik-Gyu's taste and talents as it does to Kim Jong-Il."[12]
Filmography
- A Garden Zinnia (1963)[2]
- Sea of Blood (1968)[11]
- Five Guerilla Brothers (1968)[2]
- The Flower Girl (1972)[8]
Opera
- Sea of Blood (1971)[14]
- The Life of Chunhyang (1988)[6]
See also
- Cabinet of North Korea
- Culture of North Korea
- Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea
- Politics of North Korea
- Cinema of North Korea
- Propaganda in North Korea
- List of North Korean films
References
- Gause, Ken E. (2011). North Korea under Kim Chong-il: Power, Politics, and Prospects for Change: Power, Politics, and Prospects for Change. Santa Barbara: ABC-CLIO. p. 219. ISBN 978-0-313-38176-8.
Works cited
- Fischer, Paul (2016). A Kim Jong-Il Production: Kidnap, Torture, Murder... Making Movies North Korean-Style. London: Penguin Books. ISBN 978-0-241-97000-3.
- North Korea Handbook. Seoul: Yonhap News Agency. 2002. ISBN 978-0-7656-3523-5.
- Choe Ik-gyu (PDF). North Korea Leadership Watch. October 2009. Retrieved 19 December 2017.
External links
- Profile at the Ministry of Unification (in Korean)
- Choe Ik-gyu on IMDb
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