Kaechon concentration camp

Kaechon concentration camp
Chosŏn'gŭl 개천 제1호교화소
Hancha 价川第一號敎化所
Revised Romanization Gaecheon Je1ho Gyohwaso
McCune–Reischauer Kaechŏn Che1ho Kyohwaso
Chosŏn'gŭl 개천 정치범 수용소
Hancha 价川政治犯收容所
Revised Romanization Gaecheon Jeongchibeom Suyongso
McCune–Reischauer Kaechŏn Chŏngch'ibŏm Suyongso

Kaechon concentration camp (also spelled Kae'chŏn or Gaecheon) is a prison in North Korea with many political prisoners. The official name is Kyo-hwa-so (Reeducation camp) No. 1. It is not to be confused with Kaechon internment camp (Kwan-li-so Nr. 14), which is located 20 km (12 mi) to the south-east.

Location

Kaechon
Pyongyang
Location of Kaechon camp in North Korea

The camp is located in Kae'chŏn county, P'yŏngan-namdo province in North Korea. It is situated on the outskirts of Kaechon city, around 2.5 km (1.6 mi) east of the city center, behind a little hill.[1]

Description

Kaechon concentration camp is a large prison compound, around 300 m (1000 feet) long and 300 m (1000 feet) wide, surrounded by a 4 m (13 feet) high wall with barbed wire on top.[2] The prisoners, around 4000 men and 2000 women (in 1992), are political prisoners mixed with common criminals. Theoretically prisoners should be released after reeducation through labor and serving their sentence. But as the prison sentences are very long and the conditions are extremely harsh, many do not survive their prison sentences. Ji Hae-nam estimates that during her sentence of two years around 20% of the prisoners died.[3]

Purpose

The main purpose of Kaechon camp is to punish people for less-serious crimes, whereas political crimes (e. g. criticism of the government) are considered a severe offense. But the prisoners are also used as slave workers, who have to fulfill high production quotas in very difficult conditions. For this purpose there is a shoe making factory, a leather and rubber factory, a clothing factory and other factories in the camp.[4]

Human Rights Situation

The human rights situation in the camp is described in detail by Lee Soon-ok in her testimony to the United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary. She explains how the prisoners have no rights and how they are treated at the mercy of the guards.[5]

Forced Labor

The prisoners are forced to work around 18 hours per day at the camp's factories. If someone does not work quickly enough, he or she is beaten. Sometimes prisoners sleep at their workplaces to fulfill the production quota. All this involves frequent work accidents and many prisoners are crippled from the work or from torture.[6]

Health and Sanitation

Prisoners are forced to sleep in a room with 80 to 90 people in 30 square metre (322 square feet) flea-infested rooms. Prisoners are only occasionally allowed to use the toilet (one for about 300 people) and may only take a shower after several months. Diseases like paratyphus are common, resulting from the bad nutrition.[7]

Malnutrition

Food rations are 100 grams of broken corn three times a day and a salt soup. In case of rule violations food rations are reduced. Lee Soon-ok reported that prisoners even killed rats and ate them raw in order to survive.[8]

Torture

There are 78 punishment cells in the camp, each 60 cm (24 inches) wide and 110 cm (43 inches) high, where prisoners are locked up several days. Afterwards many of them are unable to walk and some even die from this. Prisoners are often beaten, kicked or whipped. Lee Soon-ok was tortured being forced to drink a large quantity of water until she fainted (water torture) and almost died from this. During her sentence she witnessed many types of torture.[9]

Infanticides

Pregnant women are forced to have abortions by injections. Lee Soon-ok witnessed babies born alive being killed directly at birth.[10]

Executions

As with all the prison camps, public executions are commonplace and is usually done in front in all prisoners.[11]

Prisoners (Witnesses)

See also

Bibliography

References

  1. ↑ Google Maps: Kaechon city and the concentration camp, Updated: August 12, 2009
  2. ↑ Committee for Human Rights in North Korea: Satellite Imagery of the North Korean Gulag: Kyo-hwa-so No. 1 Kaechon Overview, p. 225
  3. ↑ Committee for Human Rights in North Korea: The Hidden Gulag (Section: Testimony Kyo-hwa-so No. 1 Kaechon, p. 100 - 105)
  4. ↑ United States Senate Hearings: Testimony of Ms. Soon Ok Lee, June 21, 2002
  5. ↑ United States Senate Hearings: Testimony of Ms. Soon Ok Lee, June 21, 2002
  6. ↑ Citizens’ Alliance for North Korean Human Rights: Life in Kaechon Indoctrination Camp
  7. ↑ United States Senate Hearings: Testimony of Ms. Soon Ok Lee, June 21, 2002
  8. ↑ A survivor: Soon Ok Lee – 7 years of torture in N. Korean prison camp, October 28, 2003, MSNBC
  9. ↑ Testimony of Ms. Soon Ok Lee with illustrations, May 2, 2002
  10. ↑ Brooke, James (June 10, 2002). "Defectors From North Korea Tell of Prison Baby Killings". The New York Times.
  11. ↑ United States Senate Hearings: Testimony of Ms. Soon Ok Lee, June 21, 2002
  12. ↑ United States Senate Hearings: Testimony of Ms. Soon Ok Lee, June 21, 2002
  13. ↑ Committee for Human Rights in North Korea: The Hidden Gulag (Section: Testimony Kyo-hwa-so No. 1 Kaechon, p. 100 - 105)

Coordinates: 39°42′30″N 125°55′24″E / 39.708276°N 125.923276°E / 39.708276; 125.923276

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