Eyes of the Tailless Animals: Prison Memoirs of a North Korean Woman
Encyclopedia
Eyes of the Tailless Animals: Prison Memoirs of a North Korean Woman (꼬리 없는 짐승들의 눈빛) recounts the experiences of former North Korean
political prison
survivor and refugee
Soon Ok Lee
(이순옥).
Lee once held a prominent position in the North Korean communist party
in her home province of North Hamgyong. Despite faithful service to the communist state, one day she was suddenly arrested on false charges. For more than a year she was tortured
in a prison until she at last confessed. She was then tried, convicted, and transferred to Kaechon reeducation camp
to serve a 13 year term.
Upon entering the prison, Lee was told she must forget she was even human if she were to survive. She describes horrific brutality at the hands of prison staff and inhuman prison conditions. Other former prisoners, such as Kang Chol-Hwan
, have testified to the same level of extremely brutal treatment of prisoners in the North Korean prison system.
In 1992, after five years in the Kaechon
prison, Lee was miraculously released. She was reunited with her son, but was unable to find her husband. In 1995, she and her son escaped from North Korea by walking across the frozen Tumen River
into China
. From there, with North Korean and Chinese authorities searching for them, they managed to escape to South Korea
. Since gaining her freedom, she has said her mission is to expose to the world the evil of the North Korean regime and to speak for all those in the prison who could not speak for themselves. The title of her book refers to the eyes of her six thousand fellow prisoners, the “tailless animals,” pleading with her to tell their story as she was released from the prison, a sight she could never forget.
Lee’s story was published in South Korea in 1996 and subsequently translated into English and published in the US in 1999. Lee has also testified about the North Korean human rights
situation before the United States Congress
, and advocated the case of Christians
in North Korea, who receive especially vicious treatment. Despite her account and similar stories of horrific abuse from a growing number of North Korean refugees, the situation in North Korea today remains unchanged. Dictator Kim Jong-il
maintains absolute authority; hundreds of thousands of prisoners – located at various labor camps and prisons
around the country – continue to be held for the most trivial of offenses, thus providing the regime with a slave labor force; and North Korea’s Christians are considered among the most persecuted
in the world.
There are few accounts of North Korean prisoner abuse due to the country's isolation and brutal repression of its citizens. Along with Kang Chol-hwan and Pierre Rigoulot’s
The Aquariums of Pyongyang
, Eyes of the Tailless Animals provides a rare glimpse into the horrific North Korean prison system.
An abbreviated version of Lee's story, based on her testimony to the US Congress, appeared in the 2002 edition of Harper’s Magazine.
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...
political prison
Political prisoner
According to the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, a political prisoner is ‘someone who is in prison because they have opposed or criticized the government of their own country’....
survivor and refugee
Refugee
A refugee is a person who outside her country of origin or habitual residence because she has suffered persecution on account of race, religion, nationality, political opinion, or because she is a member of a persecuted 'social group'. Such a person may be referred to as an 'asylum seeker' until...
Soon Ok Lee
Lee Soon Ok
Lee Soon Ok is a former political prisoner and defector from North Korea. She resides in South Korea.-Imprisonment:For six years, Lee was imprisoned in Kaechon concentration camp where she has reported witnessing forced abortions, infanticide, several instances of rape, public executions, testing...
(이순옥).
Lee once held a prominent position in the North Korean communist party
Communism
Communism is a social, political and economic ideology that aims at the establishment of a classless, moneyless, revolutionary and stateless socialist society structured upon common ownership of the means of production...
in her home province of North Hamgyong. Despite faithful service to the communist state, one day she was suddenly arrested on false charges. For more than a year she was tortured
Torture
Torture is the act of inflicting severe pain as a means of punishment, revenge, forcing information or a confession, or simply as an act of cruelty. Throughout history, torture has often been used as a method of political re-education, interrogation, punishment, and coercion...
in a prison until she at last confessed. She was then tried, convicted, and transferred to Kaechon reeducation camp
Kaechon concentration camp
Kaechon concentration camp is a prison in North Korea with many political prisoners. The official name is Kyo-hwa-so No. 1. It is not to be confused with Kaechon internment camp Kaechon concentration camp (Hangeul: , also spelled Kae'chŏn or Gaecheon) is a prison in North Korea with many...
to serve a 13 year term.
Upon entering the prison, Lee was told she must forget she was even human if she were to survive. She describes horrific brutality at the hands of prison staff and inhuman prison conditions. Other former prisoners, such as Kang Chol-Hwan
Kang Chol-Hwan
Kang Chol-Hwan is a defector from North Korea. As a child he was imprisoned in the Yodok concentration camp for 10 years; after his release he fled the country, first to China and eventually to South Korea...
, have testified to the same level of extremely brutal treatment of prisoners in the North Korean prison system.
In 1992, after five years in the Kaechon
Kaechon
Kaech'ŏn is a city in South Pyongan Province, North Korea. Kaechon's coordinates are .-Geography:The Myohyangsan, Changansan, Ch'ŏnsŏngsan, and Ch'ŏngryongsan mountain ranges come together in Kaechon. The highest peak is Paekt'apsan. The most important rivers are the Ch'ŏngch'ŏn River and the...
prison, Lee was miraculously released. She was reunited with her son, but was unable to find her husband. In 1995, she and her son escaped from North Korea by walking across the frozen Tumen River
Tumen River
The Tumen River is a 521 km-long river that serves as part of the boundary between China, North Korea, and Russia, rising in Mount Baekdu and flowing into the Sea of Japan....
into China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
. From there, with North Korean and Chinese authorities searching for them, they managed to escape to South Korea
South Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
. Since gaining her freedom, she has said her mission is to expose to the world the evil of the North Korean regime and to speak for all those in the prison who could not speak for themselves. The title of her book refers to the eyes of her six thousand fellow prisoners, the “tailless animals,” pleading with her to tell their story as she was released from the prison, a sight she could never forget.
Lee’s story was published in South Korea in 1996 and subsequently translated into English and published in the US in 1999. Lee has also testified about the North Korean human rights
Human rights
Human rights are "commonly understood as inalienable fundamental rights to which a person is inherently entitled simply because she or he is a human being." Human rights are thus conceived as universal and egalitarian . These rights may exist as natural rights or as legal rights, in both national...
situation before the United States Congress
United States Congress
The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....
, and advocated the case of Christians
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
in North Korea, who receive especially vicious treatment. Despite her account and similar stories of horrific abuse from a growing number of North Korean refugees, the situation in North Korea today remains unchanged. Dictator Kim Jong-il
Kim Jong-il
Kim Jong-il, also written as Kim Jong Il, birth name Yuri Irsenovich Kim born 16 February 1941 or 16 February 1942 , is the Supreme Leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea...
maintains absolute authority; hundreds of thousands of prisoners – located at various labor camps and prisons
Internment
Internment is the imprisonment or confinement of people, commonly in large groups, without trial. The Oxford English Dictionary gives the meaning as: "The action of 'interning'; confinement within the limits of a country or place." Most modern usage is about individuals, and there is a distinction...
around the country – continue to be held for the most trivial of offenses, thus providing the regime with a slave labor force; and North Korea’s Christians are considered among the most persecuted
Persecution
Persecution is the systematic mistreatment of an individual or group by another group. The most common forms are religious persecution, ethnic persecution, and political persecution, though there is naturally some overlap between these terms. The inflicting of suffering, harassment, isolation,...
in the world.
There are few accounts of North Korean prisoner abuse due to the country's isolation and brutal repression of its citizens. Along with Kang Chol-hwan and Pierre Rigoulot’s
Pierre Rigoulot
Pierre Rigoulot is a French historian. The author of L’Antiaméricanisme, he contributed to Stéphane Courtois' The Black Book of Communism and helped Kang Chol-Hwan write The Aquariums of Pyongyang. In 2006, he prefaced France Intox published by Editions Underbahn.-External links:*...
The Aquariums of Pyongyang
The Aquariums of Pyongyang
The Aquariums of Pyongyang, by Kang Chol-Hwan and Pierre Rigoulot, is an account of the imprisonment of Kang Chol-Hwan and his family in the Yodok concentration camp in North Korea....
, Eyes of the Tailless Animals provides a rare glimpse into the horrific North Korean prison system.
An abbreviated version of Lee's story, based on her testimony to the US Congress, appeared in the 2002 edition of Harper’s Magazine.