Ri In-mo


Ri In-mo was an Unconverted long-term prisoners from the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. He spent 40 years in prison and under restriction of freedom in the Republic of Korea.

History

Described by the Korean Central News Agency 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, DPRK. He was arrested by South Korean while fighting as a guerilla in the Jirisan in January 1952 while serving as a war correspondent of Korean Peoples Army during the Korean War. Ri served 34 years in prison in South Korea. Ri was offered his freedom in exchange for signing a form renouncing his political beliefs but he repeatedly refused.
Ri was released in 1988 but South Korean authorities continued to restrict his activities. He was repatriated to the DPRK 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. However, the film's mentions of hunger strikes – and therefore the suggestion that food in South Korean prisons was so abundant that one could go on hunger strike – had the undesired effect of suggesting to the North Koreans that life in the South Korean prisons were not as bad as believed.
Ri died on 16 June 2007 and was given a hero's funeral. His funeral committee was chaired by Kim Yong-nam with Choe Thae-bok as its vice-chairman and had 55 members including Kim Yong-il. A statue was erected in his honour in Pyongyang the following year.

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