Abduction of Shin Sang-ok and Choi Eun-hee
| Abduction of Shin Sang-ok and Choi Eun-hee | |
|---|---|
| Part of the North Korean abductions of South Koreans | |
| Native name | 신상옥·최은희 납치 사건 |
| Location | Abduction: Hong Kong Confinement: North Korea |
| Date | 1978 – March 13, 1986 |
| Target | Shin Sang-ok |
Attack type | Kidnapping |
| Perpetrator | Kim Jong Il |
| Motive | To improve North Korean cinema |
The abduction of Shin Sang-ok and Choi Eun-hee occurred in North Korea between 1978 and 1986. Shin Sang-ok was a famous South Korean filmmaker who had been married to actress Choi Eun-hee. Together, they established Shin Film and made many films through the 1960s which garnered recognition for South Korea at various film festivals. In January 1978, Choi was abducted in Hong Kong and taken to North Korea to the country's future supreme leader Kim Jong Il. The abduction of Shin followed six months later.
After three years in prison, Shin was united with Choi, and the two were instructed by Kim Jong Il to make films for him to gain global recognition for North Korea's film industry. Shin directed seven films for Kim from 1984 until 1985: An Emissary of No Return, Love, Love, My Love, Runaway, Breakwater, Salt, The Tale of Shim Chong, and most famously, Pulgasari. In 1986, Choi and Shin escaped from North Korean supervision to the US embassy while in Vienna. Under Kim's orders, Shin's films were banned in North Korea thereupon.