Chongjin concentration camp
Encyclopedia
Chongjin concentration camp (Hangeul: , also spelled Ch'ŏngjin) is a labor camp in North Korea
for political prisoners. The official name is Kwan-li-so (Penal-labor colony) No. 25.
. It is situated in Suseong district (Susŏng-dong) in northern Chongjin, around 500 m (1500 ft) west of Suseong river between two little hills in an area off-limits for Chongjin residents.
North Korea
The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea , , is a country in East Asia, occupying the northern half of the Korean Peninsula. Its capital and largest city is Pyongyang. The Korean Demilitarized Zone serves as the buffer zone between North Korea and South Korea...
for political prisoners. The official name is Kwan-li-so (Penal-labor colony) No. 25.
Location
The camp is located in Chongjin city, Hamgyŏng-pukto province in North KoreaNorth Korea
The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea , , is a country in East Asia, occupying the northern half of the Korean Peninsula. Its capital and largest city is Pyongyang. The Korean Demilitarized Zone serves as the buffer zone between North Korea and South Korea...
. It is situated in Suseong district (Susŏng-dong) in northern Chongjin, around 500 m (1500 ft) west of Suseong river between two little hills in an area off-limits for Chongjin residents.
Description
Chongjin camp is a lifetime prison without any chance to be released. Like the other political prison camps it belongs to the state security agency. But while the others include many prison-labor colonies in remote mountain valleys encompassing vast land area, Chongjin camp is only one big prison building complex like the reeducation camps. Chongjin camp is around 500 m (1500 ft) long and 500 m (1500 ft) wide, surrounded by high walls and fences and equipped with many guard towers. 3000 or more prisoners are estimated to live in Chongjin camp.Purpose
Main purpose is to isolate political prisoners from society. The prisoners are exploited for hard labor to be performed in the prison factories. Popular North Korean consumer products like Kalmaegi bicycles are manufactured by prisoners using hand tools.Human Rights Situation
Until now, no prisoner from Chongjin camp succeeded to escape from North Korea, so there are no first-hand witness accounts on the human rights situation in the camp. Ahn Myung-chul (former prison guard in Haengyong camp) described Chongjin camp as a top-level political prisoner camp, therefore harsh conditions can be assumed.Prisoners (Witnesses)
- There is no first-hand witness account on the camp, as no prisoner succeeded to escape from North Korea, however there are some reports by North Korean defectorsNorth Korean defectorsA number of individuals have defected from North Korea. Since the division of Korea after World War II and the end of the Korean War , many people have defected from North Korea, mainly for political, ideological, religious and economic reasons...
on prisoners in Chongjin camp. - Lim Kook-jae, abducted 1987 on board of the fisher boat Dong Jin 27 (one of thousands of South Koreans abducted to North KoreaNorth Korean abductions of South KoreansAn estimated 84,532 South Koreans were taken to North Korea during the Korean War. In addition, South Korean statistics claim that, since the Korean Armistice in 1953, about 3,800 people have been abducted in North Korea , 480 of whom are still being held by North Korea.- Two types of Abductees...
) died in Chongjin camp, according to a human rights organization. - Many pastors and presbyters, dissent Korean Japanese and people expelled from Pyongyang with their families are detained in Chongjin camp, according to the 9th International Conference on North Korean Human Rights and Refugees.
External links
- Korea Institute for National Unification - White paper on human rights in North Korea 2009
- One Free Korea - Camp 25 at Chongjin (with satellite photographs)
- Committee for Human Rights in North Korea – Overview on North Korean Prison Camps with Testimonies and Satellite Photographs
- The Daily NK: The Hub of North Korean News – Uncensored news directly from North Korea
See also
- Human rights in North KoreaHuman rights in North KoreaThe human rights record of North Korea is extremely hard to fully assess due to the secretive and closed nature of the country. The North Korean government makes it very difficult for foreigners to enter the country and strictly monitors their activities when they do...
- Hoeryong concentration campHoeryong concentration campCamp 22 is a North Korean prison for political prisoners and their relatives. The camp is the largest concentration camp in North Korea and is thought to hold 50,000 prisoners.-History:According to Ahn Myong Chol, a guard at the camp between 1987 and 1994, Camp 22 was established in 1959...
- Yodok concentration campYodok concentration campYodok concentration camp is a political prison camp in North Korea. The official name is Kwan-li-so No. 15.-Location:...
- Kaechon internment campKaechon internment campKaechon internment camp is a labor camp in North Korea for political prisoners. The official name is Kwan-li-so No. 14. It is not to be confused with Kaechon concentration camp Kaechon internment camp (Hangeul: , also spelled Kae'chŏn or Gaecheon) is a labor camp in North Korea for political...