Ri In-mo (; 24 August 1917 - 16 June 2007) was an unconverted long-term prisoner who spent 40 years in prison and under the restriction of freedom in South Korea.

History

Described by the

Korean Central News Agency The Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) is the state news agency of North Korea. The agency portrays the views of the North Korean government for both domestic and foreign consumption. It was established on December 5, 1946 and now features onlin ...

as "well-known among the DPRK people as an incarnation of faith and will" and "a pro-reunification patriotic fighter," Ri was born in 1917 in

Kimhyonggwon County Kimhyŏnggwŏn County is a ''kun'', or county, in southeastern Ryanggang province, North Korea. It borders South Hamgyŏng to the south. Previously known as Pungsan, it was renamed by Kim Il Sung in 1990. He named it after his uncle, Kim Hy ...

during the

Japanese occupation of Korea Between 1910 and 1945, Korea was ruled as a part of the Empire of Japan. Joseon, Joseon Korea had come into the Japanese sphere of influence with the Japan–Korea Treaty of 1876; a complex coalition of the Meiji period, Meiji government, military ...

. He was arrested by

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...

while he was fighting as a guerilla in

Jirisan Jirisan is a mountain located in the southern region of South Korea. It is the second-tallest mountain in South Korea after Jeju Island's Hallasan, and the tallest mountain in mainland South Korea. The 1915m-high mountain is located in Jiri ...

in January 1952 while he served as a war correspondent of the

Korean People's Army The Korean People's Army (KPA; ) is the military force of North Korea and the armed wing of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK). Under the ''Songun'' policy, it is the central institution of North Korean society. Currently, WPK General Sec ...

during the

Korean War , date = {{Ubl, 25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953 (''de facto'')({{Age in years, months, weeks and days, month1=6, day1=25, year1=1950, month2=7, day2=27, year2=1953), 25 June 1950 – present (''de jure'')({{Age in years, months, weeks a ...

. Ri served 34 years in prison in South Korea. During his incarceration, Ri was offered his freedom in exchange for signing a form renouncing his political beliefs but repeatedly refused. Ri was released in 1988, but South Korean authorities continued to restrict his activities. He was repatriated to

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 ...

in March 1993 and was reunited with his wife and daughter. Following his repatriation, Ri was in ill health, apparently due to the conditions he experienced in prison. He underwent medical treatment in the United States in 1996. After his health improved, his suffering in prison was put into film by North Korea. Ri's numerous public appearances made him popular in the North. Ri died on 16 June 2007 and was given a hero's funeral. His funeral committee was chaired by

Kim Yong-nam Kim or KIM may refer to: Names * Kim (given name) * Kim (surname) ** Kim (Korean surname) *** Kim family (disambiguation), several dynasties **** Kim family (North Korea), the rulers of North Korea since Kim Il-sung in 1948 ** Kim, Vietnamese f ...

with

Choe Thae-bok Choe Thae-bok (born 1 December 1930) is a North Korean politician. He is a member of the Politburo and the Secretariat of the Workers' Party of Korea, and was Chairman (speaker) of the Supreme People's Assembly for nearly 21 years, from 1998 to 2 ...

as its vice-chairman and had 55 members including

Kim Yong-il Kim Yong-il (; born 2 May 1944) is a North Korean politician who served as the Premier of North Korea from April 2007 to 7 June 2010. He was elected as Premier by the 5th session of the 11th Supreme People's Assembly (SPA) in April 2007, repla ...

. A statue was erected in his honour in

Pyongyang Pyongyang (, , ) is the capital and largest city of North Korea, where it is known as the "Capital of the Revolution". Pyongyang is located on the Taedong River about upstream from its mouth on the Yellow Sea. According to the 2008 populatio ...

the following year.

Works

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History

Works

See also

References

Further reading