Koryo Saram the Unreliable People (2007)

Name: Koryo Saram the Unreliable People
Genre: Documentary
Released: 2007-01-10

Running Time

Plot.

Koryo Saram (the Soviet Korean phrase for Korean person) tells the harrowing saga of survival in the open steppe country and the sweep of Soviet history through the eyes of these deported Koreans, who were designated by Stalin as an "unreliable people" and enemies of the state. Through recently uncovered archival footage and new interviews, the film follows the deportees' history of integrating into the Soviet system while working under punishing conditions in Kazakhstan, a country which became a concentration camp of exiled people from throughout the Soviet Union.

Where to Watch.

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Cast & Crew.

Matt Dibble

Director / Editor / Cinematography / Writer / Music

Meredith Jung-En Woo

Executive Producer / Producer

Y. David Chung

Producer / Director / Writer

Eric Wojahn

Sound Engineer

Jin Hi Kim

Music

Japhet Asher

Writer

Pooh Johnston

Music

Details.

Release Date
January 10, 2007

Status
Released

Running Time
1h

Budget
$150,000

Genres
Documentary

Last updated: 2025-02-14

Wiki.

Koryo Saram: The Unreliable People is an American documentary film premiered on October 29, 2006. It was directed by Y. David Chung and Matt Dibble. The film focuses on Koryo-saram: ethnic Koreans of the former Soviet Union who were deported to Central Asia in 1937. The subtitle "The Unreliable People" refers to a phrase Joseph Stalin used to describe the Koryo-saram and other ethnic groups who were deported.

It was written by Y. David Chung, Matt Dibble, and Japhet Asher. It was produced by Y. David Chung, and executive produced by Meredith Jung-En Woo. Academic German Kim served as the historical consultant. It first premiered at the Smithsonian Institute's Sackler Gallery. It has since been shown at a number of universities in the United States.

It won the Best Documentary Award of the National Film Board of Canada in 2007.