North Korea's prison population has ballooned to flee the country to combat defections young leader Kim Jong Il Chung-yuan next fall, according to defectors living in South Korea and Pyongyang, the researchers studied the infamous network of labor camps and detention centers.
Soon after, he inherited his father, North Korean leader Kim Jong Il is considered to be the country's borders to strengthen the security and force Pyongyang's neighbor and main ally, China, the repatriation of any person who is found on its side of the frontier . In an interview with The Associated Press and human rights groups gathered accounts, the Korean people trying to leave the country, said that those who were caught were sent cruel facilities, they now number in the thousands.
"They are tightening the noose," benevolence into Kim said North Korea human rights were interviewed shortly after their arrival, the majority of defectors in South Korea databases Center researcher. "It is the people of North Korea set an example."
Fled north into trouble, stressed last month nine young Koreans have been detained in Laos along a secret escape route through Southeast Asia, had previously been considered safe a key stop. On the contrary, the Lao government to hand them over to Pyongyang. Although the high-profile nature of their repatriation might provide them some protection, human rights groups for their fears.
"Forced repatriation of China's one way to pain, suffering and violence," according to "Hidden Gulag" camps by experienced human rights researcher and writer David Hawker 2012 a detailed study. "Arbitrary detention, torture and forced labor caused by many to be repatriated North Korea."
Park Chung Hee, then 7, and his parents in 2003, was arrested trying to reach Mongolia from China back to North Korea. He ended up in prison, in the northern city of Chongjin, where he was fitted with other children, some of them homeless children rounded up in the streets.
He said they were blindfolded every day, forced to clear land for agriculture. If they refused, they were beaten.
, "Parker said," I can not even tell whether I was still alive. "We offer a five potato one day, each about the size of a fingernail."
A few months later, he managed to escape after his uncle bribe guards. With the help of relatives, he went to Korea, he participated in the Korean defectors a special school. But he assumed his parents, whom he had not seen in 10 years, is still being held in the North.
In the 18 months since Kim Jong Il came to power, any hope of rulers in their early 20s will usher in a new era of reform has been to suppress human rights.
Defectors constitute a specific threat Pyongyang regime, human rights groups say, because their story to tell the world about the plight of North Korean people, they send the information and money in.
Korea that those who leave the country with treason, and by up to five years of manual labor. In addition, the "Criminal Law" state, if the defection is the nature of "serious" - taken by most researchers mean, if obtained with the help of defectors, South Korea or the United States Christian missionary groups, rather than hard work to achieve the purpose of China - risk of anti-state activities defectors additional costs, which could mean life imprisonment or even death.
Korea considered hostile to the government can spend rest of their lives, with their families, at a spread of at least five camps or colonies, covering fields, factories, mines and housing blocks. Modeled on the Soviet labor camp system, regional choose their natural barriers such as mountains and rivers, remoteness, their access to natural resources such as wood and coal, according to human rights groups.
Defectors these camps, but is usually in close proximity to the border and other detention facilities, organized the first as cruel, but more like a traditional prison, according to human rights groups. However, at least one labor camp, mountain and more, there is now a special part of resettlement for those repatriated from China thousands of prisoners, according to Kang Chol-hwan, the former prisoners.
Sport camp in the book about his experience: "Pyongyang Aquarium, said:" He comes from the north contact information. He is currently responsible for foreign investment in the campaign and advocacy group aimed at spreading democracy Korea.
The current prison population ranges from 100,000 to 200,000, and activists say are estimated to be up to 5% of the total account defectors. Jen database into gold center North Korean Human Rights cited the "five-fold rise" in the past 10 years the number of detained defectors.
"When people get caught, a car came to their house in the middle of the night, they left, said:" The recent defectors, aged 17, who asked his name, do not use the fear of relatives in the North may be targeted . "They do not come back."
Streets lookout boy, also a student Korean defector school, as his father, who organized the Chinese border smuggling of money and people across the country. In 2012 he and his family fled after the news about the nature of the family business.
"Monitoring has been more intense, more patrols," he said, security along the border.
Provided by the South Korean government figures show that support for multiple accounts smuggling, defectors and people living along the border security has been tightened. In 2009, 2,929 defected Korea. Last year, 1,509, as since 2005, the lowest figure.
The Government said it had no indication that North Korea in the field of human rights in the positive changes because Kim Jong Un power. "From the defector accounts, it seems still operating prison camps, the control community, including information flow, toughened, it said in a statement."
Although more than ever, more detailed and consistent testimony of defectors and satellite images clearer prison camp, still have some of the international community can do to change a country's internal press has repeatedly indicated its willingness to engage in human rights issues. Government's refusal to allow outsiders access to detention facilities check condition and fully deny the existence of political prisoners in concentration camps.
The main focus is to restore America Pyongyang to abandon its nuclear weapons program in international negotiations. Most other countries, the Government believes that the regime increased contact with people, rather than sanctions or threats - is the best way to improve conditions. The United Nations will begin in July of human rights in North Korea high-level commission of inquiry, but few expect that Pyongyang will allow researchers to enter the United States, not to mention the camp.
"The U.S. government can not do too many things, said:" The eagle, who defectors for his "Hidden Gulag," the report for a detailed interview. "If North Korea wants to maintain its self-imposed isolation, is very small, the outside world can do, in addition to recording grotesque violations, and to condemn them."
Conditions inside the camps and the major source of information is nearly 25,000 defectors living in South Korea, most people arrived in the past five years. The researchers acknowledged that their photograph is not complete, and there is evaluation defector accounts, some prudential reasons.
Only a small portion of the defectors themselves imprisoned in the concentration camp work as security guards. On their arrival in the country, all to spend three months in South Korea's intelligence agency, where they are pumped Information Center, in part to determine whether they might be spies. It often takes several years defectors arrived in South Korea, so their information is very little current. Someone asked for money to be interviewed.
Zheng Guangan Kim Jong Il, he fled the North in 2004 on suspicion of espionage in Yue spend three years later, said that prisoners were forced to grow corn, peppers and barley, and those who did not work enough of their rations cut. Hunger is so intense that prisoners eat feces undigested seeds from the other prisoners, he said.
In April this year, they will collect those who died in the winter of the body, because they can not be buried in the permafrost them.
"To this day, I still remember the smell," he said. "Death is an indisputable fact."
 



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