Unsung Heroes

Unsung Heroes
Charles Robert Jenkins as Dr. Kelton, the fictional mastermind behind the Korean War
Chosŏn'gŭl
Hancha	이름 없는
McCune–Reischauer	Irŭm Ŏmnŭn Yŏng'ungdŭl
Revised Romanization	Ireum Eomneun Yeong'ungdeul
Directed by	Ryu Ho-son, Ko Hak-lim
Written by	Lee Jin-woo
Starring	Kim Ryong-lin Kim Jung-hwa Jung Woon-mo
Distributed by	Chosun Art Film
Language	Korean

Unsung Heroes, also known as Unknown Heroes or more literally as Nameless Heroes, is a North Korean film series about a spy in Seoul during the Korean War. Over twenty hours long, it was filmed and released in multiple parts between 1978 and 1981. It was the recipient of the Kim Il-sung Medal.

Unsung Heroes received a widespread favourable reception in the domestic market, according to North Korean public media. Lead actor Kim Ryong-lin, who played the hero Yu Rim, stated that it was one of his favourite roles in over 20 years of acting; in a 1981 interview, he remarked that people had begun calling him Yu Rim instead of his real name after the series began, which he actually enjoyed because of his admiration for the character. Actress Kim Jung-hwa, who played female lead Kim Soon-hee, initially felt that she was unsuited for the role, as she had no prior military experience, or even experience playing a spy on-screen; her only preparation consisted of reading several books and interviewing real spies. The director Ryu Ho-son stated that his favourite scene was the one from the "Madonna Teahouse" in Part 5, in which former lovers Yu Rim and Kim Soon-hee each learn that the other is a North Korean agent.

Unsung Heroes was also responsible for propelling American defectors James Joseph Dresnok and Charles Robert Jenkins to minor celebrity status in North Korea. However, it did not receive public attention in the United States until 1996, when the U.S. Department of Defense obtained a copy of the movie; a report issued by five of their analysts identified Jenkins and one other unnamed American (later discovered to be Dresnok) as actors in the movie, providing the first evidence in three decades that Jenkins was still alive. Dresnok's popularity in his role is such that people in North Korea routinely refer to him as "Arthur," the name of the character he played in the film.

Unsung Heroes was broadcast on television in China in 1982, and released on DVD in 2003 by Dalian Audiovisual Publishing House. It was also screened in Japan during the Kitakyushu Biennial 2007. Its theme song "Embrace the Song of Happiness" (Chosŏn'gŭl: 기쁨의 노래 안고 함께 가리라; MR: Kibbŭmŭi Norae Ango Hamkke Karira), composed by Chŏn Tong-u, remains widely known in North Korea; Grand National Party member Yu Hong-jun, head of South Korea's Cultural Heritage Administration, became the center of controversy in 2005 when he sang the song at an official dinner while visiting North Korea.