Renowned North Korean painter dies

(ATTN: UPDATES with remarks by gallery curator in Seoul)
SEOUL, Aug. 27 (Yonhap) -- A North Korean master painter, whose works are
designated as the country's national treasures and who also garnered a following
in the South, has died at age 62, a North Korean literary newspaper said in its
latest edition.
Son U-yong, born in Pyongyang, built his name for realist drawings of objects and
landscapes. He was awarded the top Kim Il Sung Prize and named the People's
Artist, the highest honor given to artists in the North. About 60 of his works
have been designated as national treasures by North Korea.
The latest edition of the weekly Literature Newspaper, acquired by Yonhap News
Agency on Thursday, said he died on Aug. 7 but did not give the cause of death.
Son has a legion of fans in South Korea. His works were given prominence at an
inter-Korean art exhibition in Seoul in 2002. In April this year, he was one of
the four North Korean artists featured at a Buddhist-organized exhibition in
Seoul.
Jin Ying-shu, curator of Songhwa Gallery in Seoul, said she met Son in Beijing
last December at an opening of a North Korean gallery there. He appeared healthy
and active at the time, she said.
"He is one artist I've admired deeply," said Jin, a Korean-Chinese who frequently
visits North Korea and China to collect North Korean paintings and claims to own
about 20 of Son's works.
"North Korean art is mostly realist, and collectors here who like that style have
bought many of Son's pieces."
hkim@yna.co.kr
(END)