Exposing Pyongyang's Prison State

Nor

th Korea is frequently referred to as a "gulag nation," but that must seem like empty rhetoric to the hundreds of thousands of North Koreans who live—and in many cases die—in actual prison camps. Last week, the private U.S. Committee for Human Rights in North Korea released The Hidden Gulag: Exposing North Korea's Prison Camps, a chillingly comprehensive description of Kim Jong Il's hellish penal system. Written by veteran human rights investigator David Hawk, the report draws on interviews with 30 former guards and inmates, including escapees forcibly repatriated from China. Among their revelations:

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No Crime Too Small
North Koreans have received life sentences for crimes as simple as singing a South Korean pop song or spilling ink on a photo of Kim Jong Il. Often, up to three generations of a prisoner's family are sentenced along with the culprit, on the theory of guilt by association.

		LATEST COVER STORY Eating Smart November 3, 2003 Issue Past Covers Bollywood Oct. 27, 2003 ----------------- Tomb Raiders Oct. 20, 2003 ----------------- Bali Remembered Oct. 13, 2003 ----------------- What Went Wrong? Oct. 6, 2003 ----------------- What's Next Sept. 29, 2003 ----------------- Japan's Koizumi Sept. 22, 2003 ----------------- The Saudis Sept. 15, 2003 ----------------- Dyslexia Sept. 8, 2003 ----------------- U.S. in Iraq Sept. 1, 2003 ----------------- Asian Journey August 18-25, 2003 -----------------   ASIA  Philippines: Elevated Threat  Best Friends: Phil. and U.S.  Eulogy: Mme. Chiang Kai-shek  Mme. Chiang: Worldly ambitions ARTS  Books: Leaving Mother Lake  Movies: Blind Shaft digs deep NOTEBOOK  Cambodia: Bullets & Ballots  N. Korea: Gulag nation  Japan: Time to panic?  Milestones  Verbatim  Letters GLOBAL ADVISOR  Giving the kids a break  Paris' food markets  To spank or not to spank? CNN.com: Top Headlines

Empty Stomachs
Prisoners are forced to labor in deadly conditions while being given "only enough food to be kept perpetually on the brink of starvation." One prisoner was so maddened by hunger that he stole a leather whip, soaked it in water and ate it. When caught, he was beaten to death with a feces-covered stick.

No Escape
Prisoners are forced to sit motionless for days, or kept in tiny isolation cells without space to stand up or lie down. One failed escapee was dragged to his death by a car in front of assembled prisoners. The inmates were forced to touch the mangled corpse; when one prisoner protested, he was shot.

Human Statues
Forced laborers at a kiln in one prison camp were constantly showered with powdered cement, which mingled with sweat and turned their tattered, unwashed clothing into concrete suits, leading to skin abrasions and infections.

Pro-Death
Pregnant women repatriated from China are required to have abortions because their children might be half-Chinese. If their pregnancies are close to full term, the babies are delivered and then suffocated—in full view of their mothers.