| Abduction of Shin Sang-ok and Choi Eun-hee | |
|---|---|
 Shin on February 18, 1978, shortly after Choi was abducted | |
| Location | Abduction: Hong Kong Confinement: North Korea |
| Date | January 22, 1978 – March 12, 1986 |
| Target | Shin Sang-ok |
Attack type | Kidnapping |
| Perpetrator | Kim Jong Il |
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 film director 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.[1] In 1978, Choi was abducted in Hong Kong and taken to North Korea to the country's future supreme leader Kim Jong Il.[2] 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 in order to gain global recognition for North Korea's film industry.[3] After making many films for Kim, in 1986 Choi and Shin escaped from North Korean supervision to a US embassy while in Vienna.[4]
- ^ Fischer, Paul (2015). A Kim Jong-Il Production: The Extraordinary True Story of a Kidnapped Filmmaker, His Star Actress, and a Young Dictator's Rise to Power. Flatiron Books. ISBN 978-1250054265.
- ^ Martin, Bradley K. (2004). Under the Loving Care of the Fatherly Leader. New York: Thomas Dunne Books. p. 326. ISBN 0-312-32221-6.
- ^ Martin, Bradley K. (2004). Under the Loving Care of the Fatherly Leader. New York: Thomas Dunne Books. p. 334. ISBN 0-312-32221-6.
- ^ Armstrong, Charles K. (2013). Tyranny of the Weak: North Korea and the World, 1950–1992. Ithaca: Cornell University Press. p. 238 ISBN 080-146-893-0.