The People's Prize ( ko, 인민상) is a

North Korea North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the northern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and shares borders with China and Russia to the north, at the Yalu River, Y ...

n arts and sciences award. It is awarded by the People's Prize Awarding Commission, which is working directly under the

Cabinet of North Korea The Cabinet of North Korea (''Naegak'') is, according to the Constitution of North Korea, the administrative and executive body and a general state-management organ in the Government of North Korea. The Cabinet's principal newspaper is ''Minju C ...

. The prize can be granted to works of art or people. People's Prize has been an important award in the field of

North Korean cinema The cinema of North Korea began with the division of Korea and has been sustained since then by the ruling Kim dynasty. Kim Il-sung and his successor Kim Jong-il were both cinephiles and sought to produce propaganda films based on the ''Juch ...

. The works and people that have received the People's Prize cover such varied fields as literature, gymnastics,

Korean revolutionary opera Korean revolutionary opera () is a tradition of revolutionary opera in North Korea based on that of China during the Cultural Revolution. It is characterized by a highly melodramatic style and reoccurring themes of patriotism and glorification o ...

acupuncture Acupuncture is a form of alternative medicine and a component of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) in which thin needles are inserted into the body. Acupuncture is a pseudoscience; the theories and practices of TCM are not based on scientifi ...

and sculpture. The People's Prize has been received by people abroad.

History

The People's Prize was instituted on 8 September 1958. The first North Korean feature film ''

My Hometown "My Hometown" is a single by Bruce Springsteen off his ''Born in the U.S.A.'' album, that was the then-record-tying seventh and last top 10 single to come from it, peaking at #6 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 singles chart. It also topped the U. ...

'' (1949) was directed by Kang Hongshik. It was the first of a film series to be awarded People's Prize.

Kim Il-sung Kim Il-sung (; , ; born Kim Song-ju, ; 15 April 1912 – 8 July 1994) was a North Korean politician and the founder of North Korea, which he ruled from the country's establishment in 1948 until his death in 1994. He held the posts of ...

praised many of People's Prize winning movies from 1960s and 1970s of supplying an exhaustive answer to the issue of people's '. The Workers' Party gives the award to those North Korean films and film-makers seen as fulfilling the role of an "excellent textbook" for the workers party. Some of the works, which did not become recognized as "Immortal classics", did earn People's Prize meant only for the best productions. One such production is a three-part film '' Five Guerilla Brothers'' (1968) directed by

Choe Ik-gyu Choe Ik-gyu (, born 27 February 1934), also known under the pseudonym Choe Sang-gun, is a North Korean film director, propagandist, and politician. Choe became the head of the Korea Film Studio in 1956 at age 22. By the time Kim Jong-il took ov ...

, and overseen by

Kim Jong-il Kim Jong-il (; ; ; born Yuri Irsenovich Kim;, 16 February 1941 – 17 December 2011) was a North Korean politician who was the second supreme leader of North Korea from 1994 to 2011. He led North Korea from the 1994 death of his father Kim ...

himself. Other films overseen by Kim to win the People's Prize were '' A Flowering Village'' and '' A Family of Workers'' (1971). In the case of the ''A Family of Workers'', Kim Jong-il was reportedly not satisfied with the application of the seed theory. However, some of Kim Jong-il's movies, such as ''

Sea of Blood ''Sea of Blood'' () is a propagandist North Korean opera credited to Kim Il-sung. It was first produced as an opera by Sea of Blood Theatrical Troupe (''Pibada Guekdan'') in 1971. It was then later adapted into a novel by the Choseon Novelist ...

'' (1968) and '' Flower girl'' (1972), became "Immortal classics". In 1965 the

Chongryon The General Association of Korean Residents in Japan,
" ''

established

Chosun University Chosun University () is one of the oldest private universities in South Korea. Its campus is situated in Gwangju metropolitan city, in southwestern South Korea. Around 33,000 students are enrolled. Academics Undergraduate courses are offered ...

's teaching staff in Japan received the prize. Many of the works to obtain People's Prize are still highly regarded in North Korea. ''

Reminiscences of the Anti-Japanese Guerillas ''Reminiscences of the Anti-Japanese Guerillas'' is a collection of memoirs of North Korean guerillas fighting during the 1930s and 1940s in Manchuria against the Japanese. It was used as a textbook for indoctrination until it was effectively ...

'' is regarded as classic of literature of the Workers' Party, and was awarded People's Prize in 2012. It is still used in daily ideological study sessions at workplaces, and many of the memoirs have later been made into movies. People's Prize winner

Kim Song-gun Kim Song-gun (; born 1945) is a North Korean painter. He works at the Mansudae Art Studio in Pyongyang. Life Kim was born in 1945. He initially worked as a blacksmith for 3 years. After his military service, he started working for the Mansu ...

's major work ''Waves of the Sea Kumgang'' was used as a background for a group photo with Kim Jong-il and Bill Clinton during Clinton's visit to North Korea in 2009. Kim Song-gun received the award for his painting ''Waves of the Sea Kumgang'' in 1999.

List of works and people having received the prize

Arts

*A granite sculpture '' Trumpeter of Advance(진격의 나팔수)'' (awarded in September 1988) *The ''

Chollima Statue The Chollima Statue () is a monument on in Pyongyang, the capital of North Korea. The monument symbolizes the "Chollima speed" of the Chollima Movement. The legendary winged horse Chollima depicted by the monument is said to travel 1,000 ' ...

'' *''Waves of the Sea Kumgang'' painted by

(awarded in 1999) * O Hye-yong is a film scriptwriter known for adapting true stories into films.

Books

*''

History History (derived ) is the systematic study and the documentation of the human activity. The time period of event before the History of writing#Inventions of writing, invention of writing systems is considered prehistory. "History" is an umbr ...

(력사)'' by Han Sorya (1958) *''

'' (awarded in March 2012) *'' Among the People'' (awarded in April 1992)

Education

teaching staff received the prize on 8 January 1965.

Gymnastics

*'' Ever-victorious Workers' Party of Korea'' (awarded in 2011) *'' Korea of Chollima'' *'' Single-minded Unity'' (awarded in 2011) *'' Song of Korea'' *'' The People Sing of Their Leader'' (awarded in 2011) *'' Under the Banner of the Party'' (awarded in 1980) *'' We Will Defend Red Flag Under Leadership of Marshal'' (awarded in 1996)

Movies

*'' A Family of Workers'' *'' A Red Agitator'' (awarded in 1962) *''

Daughter of the Sun Daughter of the Sun is a 1962 sexploitation comedy film directed by Herschell Gordon Lewis and produced by David F. Friedman. The film follows the experiences of two young teachers at a nudist colony. Lewis and Friedman produced the film after the ...

'' (awarded in 1962) *'' Demarcation Line in the Town'' (awarded in 1962) *'' The Flourishing Village'' *'' Five Guerilla Brothers'' *'' Rolling Mill Workers'' *'' When Apples Are Picked'' *'' Girls at a Port'' *'' The Brigade Commander's Former Superior'' *''

'' *''

Sunflower The common sunflower (''Helianthus annuus'') is a large annual forb of the genus ''Helianthus'' grown as a crop for its edible oily seeds. Apart from cooking oil production, it is also used as livestock forage (as a meal or a silage plant), as ...

'' (awarded in 1962) *'' Fate of a Self-defence Corps Man'' *'' The Spinner'' *'' A Worker's Family'' *''

The Flower Girl ''The Flower Girl'' () is a North Korean revolutionary genre theatrical performance, which was written by the country's sole President Kim Il-sung according to official North Korean sources.2008年03月26日金日成原创《卖花姑娘》5月 ...

'' *'' An Jung Gun Shoots Ito Hirobumi'' *''

Guarantee Guarantee is a legal term more comprehensive and of higher import than either warranty or "security". It most commonly designates a private transaction by means of which one person, to obtain some trust, confidence or credit for another, engages ...

Musical plays

*'' Under a Bright Sun(밝은 태양아래에서)'' (awarded on 30 December 1962)

Revolutionary opera

*''

The Story of a Nurse ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

(한 간호원에 대한 이야기)''

Science

Kim Bong-han Kim Bong-han (; born 1916) was a North Korean medical surgeon at Pyongyang Medical University and Kyung-Rak institute (KRI). He is primarily known for his research on a proposed mechanism for acupuncture that was not accepted by the mainstream ...

received the prize on 2 February 1962 for his work on acupuncture. * Kye Ung-sang known for his research on

eri Eri may refer to: People * Eri (biblical figure) * Eri (given name), a Japanese feminine given name, including lists of people and fictional characters * Eri (king), the progenitor of the Umu-Eri and Umu-Nri-Igbo ancient Nigerian city-states * ...

and tussar

silkworms The domestic silk moth (''Bombyx mori''), is an insect from the moth family Bombycidae. It is the closest relative of ''Bombyx mandarina'', the wild silk moth. The silkworm is the larva or caterpillar of a silk moth. It is an economically imp ...

received the prize in 1963.

References

Sources

* {{refend

External links

''Waves of the Sea Kumgang'' in a group photo with Bill Clinton and Kim Jong-il
at

Time.com ''Time'' (stylized in all caps) is an American news magazine based in New York City. For nearly a century, it was published weekly, but starting in March 2020 it transitioned to every other week. It was first published in New York City on Mar ...

Orders, decorations, and medals of North Korea Arts awards Asian film awards Asian music awards Awards for contributions to culture Asian literary awards Civil awards and decorations Society of North Korea Performing arts awards