Paek In Jun (October 27, 1920 – January 20, 1999) was a prestigious writer who left an indelible imprint on the history of the DPRK’s literature. He was honoured with the Order of Kim Il Sung , Kim Il Sung Prize and Labour Hero.

In his youth Paek’s ambition was to become a poet. After the country’s liberation on August 15, 1945, he met President Kim Il Sung and greatly admired his line of building a new Korea. Soon, he embarked on a new career as a writer.

He created a large number of excellent works that praise President Kim Il Sung and Chairman Kim Jong Il and deal with the glorious history of revolutionary activities of Kim Il Sung .

Typical of them are hymns Long Life and Good Health to the Leader , Good Health to Comrade Kim Jong Il , lyrics The General Is the Destiny of Korea , lyric poem Recalling the Great Name and film script The Land in Flames .

He shot to fame in the 1970s when a revolution was being carried out in literature and the arts under the leadership of Chairman Kim Jong Il . He performed distinguished feats in adapting the immortal classic works including The Flower Girl into film, opera and drama and creating the five revolutionary operas.

The appearance of the ever-prospering country propelled him into writing an increasing number of works.

His works contributed to enriching the treasure trove of the country’s literature and the arts that greeted its heyday. Among his masterpieces are lyric poem Thought About My Motherland , satirical poem America, the Naked , lyrics With a Single Heart , film scripts The Path to Awakening (Part 1 and 2), The Family of Choe Hak Sin (first and second halves), and The Fate of Kum Hui and Un Hui .

His works are featured by sensitivity to the spirit of the times, profound philosophy, diverse themes and styles, and sharp dramatic emotion.

Paek also made good critiques.

When Jo Ki Chon wrote and published the epic poem Mt Paektu after the country’s liberation, factionalists were critical of its style while keeping it from being well received by the public as it praised the exploits of General Kim Il Sung , the legendary hero of the anti-Japanese armed struggle. However, Paek In Jun commented in favour of the first revolutionary poem, definitively proving that revolutionary optimism does never conflict with socialist realism and the poem is far from being dogmatic but reflects the people’s emotion and sentiment. His comment was serialized on the newspaper Rodong Sinmun in 1947.

Meanwhile, he sharply criticized naturalism, nihilism and decadence in poetry.

Through energetic critical activities he claimed that literature and the arts should serve the people and exerted considerable influence on the thinking of contemporary writers by helping build the people’s literature.

Working as a member of the Central Committee of the Workers’ Party of Korea, deputy speaker of the Supreme People’s Assembly and chairman of the Central Committee of the Writers Union of Korea, he devoted his heart and soul to strengthening the Party and the people’s government and developing literature and the arts.

His collections of poems include People Sing (1947), Voices of the Simple Persons (1953), America, the Naked (1961), and Selected Poems by Paek In Jun (1993).

“Paek In Jun was a literary giant loved by the country and the people and a veteran in the field of literature and the arts,” Sok Nam Jin, vice-chairman of the Central Committee of the Writers Union of Korea, said. “He always regretted failing to write a novel in his lifetime. If he had had more time, if he had been healthier, he would have written a novel to be recorded in the history of the country’s literature.”

Yang Ryon Hui