North Korean literature

This article deals with the literature of the northern half of the Korean peninsula following the proclamation of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea in 1948. For the literature of Korea before that date, see: Korean literature.

The partition of Korea following the Second World War led to a considerable cross-border movement, which included writers moving from North to South or from South to North.

North Korea's subsequent literary tradition was shaped and controlled by the State. "Guidelines for Juche Literature" published by the official Choson Writers' Alliance emphasised that literature must extoll the country's leader, Kim Il-sung, and, later, Kim Jong-il. Only members of the Writers' Alliance are authorised to have their works published.

North Korean writers abroad

The DPRK Ministry of Culture promoted North Korean literature in Russia and China during the Cold War era. Several Soviet Koreanologists published studies on DPRK literature and translations in Russian. Among the novelists translated into Russian and Chinese were:

• Ri Ki-Yong (리기영 李箕永, 1895~1984).
• Hong Myong-Hui (洪命熹) (1888—1968) writer of Im Kkokjong (임꺽정) based on the life of the Korean nationalist hero Im Kkokjong (d.1562).
• Han Sorya author of......
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