Kang Chol-Hwan

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Kang Chol-Hwan

Korean name
Hangul:	강철환
Hanja:	姜哲煥
Revised Romanization:	Gang Cheol-hwan
McCune-Reischauer:	Kang Ch'ŏl-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. He is the author, with Pierre Rigolout, of The Aquariums of Pyongyang and is a staff writer for the Chosun Ilbo.

Born in Kyoto, Japan, Kang spent his childhood in Pyongyang, where his family lived in relative luxury owing to his grandfather's position and the fortune he had given to the country upon the family's return from Japan. Though they had never renounced their Korean citizenship and Kang's grandmother had been a staunch Party member in both countries, the family remained under a cloud of suspicion for having lived in Japan. In 1977, his grandfather was accused of treason and was sent to the notoriously brutal Yodok concentration camp. As the family of a traitor, Kang and his family were sent to the camp in Yodok. Kang was 9 years old; his sister Mi-ho was just 7.

Life was brutal in the camp. Death from starvation or exposure to the elements was a constant threat, and beatings and other punishments were routine. His education consisted almost solely of memorizing the sayings and speeches of Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-il; at 13 his education ceased and he was assigned to exhausting and dangerous work details, and was made to view public executions. Six years later he and his family were released.

After release from the camp, Kang proceeded with his life and lived for a few years in North Korea. He owned an illegal radio receiver and listened to broadcasts from the South. When he found out he was being investigated, he and a friend fled across the Yalu river into China, eventually making their way to South Korea.

After publishing The Aquariums of Pyongyang, Kang met with US President George W. Bush [1] and United Kingdom Foreign Secretary Jack Straw [2] and has spoken with several organizations about human rights in North Korea.[3][4] He has not been in contact with his family since defecting.