Bukchang concentration camp

Bukchang concentration camp
Chosŏn'gŭl	북창 제18호 관리소
Hancha	北倉第十八號管理所
McCune–Reischauer	Pukch'ang Che18ho Kwalliso
Revised Romanization	Bukchang Je18ho Gwalliso
Other name
Chosŏn'gŭl	북창 정치범 수용소
Hancha	北倉政治犯收容所
McCune–Reischauer	Pukch'ang Chŏngch'ibŏm Suyongso
Revised Romanization	Bukchang Jeongchibeom Suyongso

Bukchang concentration camp (Hangeul: 북창 제18호 관리소, also spelled Pukch'ang) is a labor camp in North Korea for political prisoners. It is sometimes called Tŭkchang concentration camp (Hangeul: 득장 제18호 관리소, also Deukjang or Dukjang). The official name is Kwan-li-so (Penal-labor colony) No. 18.

Contents 1 Location 2 Description 3 Purpose 4 Human Rights Situation 5 Prisoners (Witnesses) 6 See also 7 External links 8 References

Location

The camp is located in Pukchang county and Tukchang district, P'yŏngan-namdo province in North Korea. It is situated along the middle reaches of Taedong river, which forms the northern boundary of the camp, and also includes the mountains south of the river. On the other side of Taedong river adjoins Kaechon internment camp (Kwan-li-so No. 14).^[1]

Description

According to the former leader of the Workers’ Party of Korea Hwang Jang-yop Bukchang camp is the oldest North Korean prison camp and was erected already in 1958.^[2] Like in Yodok camp there is one section for political prisoners in lifelong detention and another part similar to reeducation camps. Possibly these section were completely separated earlier and therefore there are the two names Bukchang and Deukjang.^[3] While all the other political prison camps belong to the state security, Bukchang camp is run by the interior ministry.^[4] In some cases political prisoners were deported to Kaechon camp, while their relatives (parents, children, siblings, grandchildren) were deported to Bukchang camp. Only based on their kinship they are classified as politically unreliable and are imprisoned without any lawsuit or conviction.

The camp is around 73 km² (28 sq mi) wide.^[5] There are several prison labor colonies with barracks for the prisoners and housing for the guards, for which they are called 4th division, 5th division and 6th division. Family members are often allowed to live together. Altogether around 50000 prisoners live in Bukchang concentration camp.^[6] Kim Yong even reported about foreign prisoners, but there is no other source to confirm this.^[7]

Purpose

Bukchang camp shall isolate politically unreliable persons for lifetime from society. And it was established to exploit the people with hard and dangerous labor. Within the camp borders there are at least five coal mines,^[8] where all prisoners somehow capable have to work from early in the morning to late in the evening. Furthermore there is a cement factory and some other factories.^[9]

Human Rights Situation

Bukchang is sometimes judged as a bit less horrible compared to other political prison camps. Still also in Bukchang camp many prisoners die of undernourishment, illness, work accidents and aftereffects of torture.^[10] Often there are summary executions as a deterrent in case of rule violations or escape attempts (Kim Yong witnessed 30 summary executions within three years).^[11]

Prisoners (Witnesses)

• Kim Yong (1996 - 1998 in Bukchang) was at first imprisoned in Kaechon camp, when his relationship (which he covered up) to his father and brother, who both were executed as alleged US spies, was identified. Later he was relocated to Bukchang after intervention of his former boss.^[12]
• Kim Hye Sook (1975 – 2002 in Bukchang) was imprisoned at the age of 13 years, because her grandfather tried to escape to South Korea.^[13][14]

See also

• Human rights in North Korea
• Kaechon internment camp
• Yodok concentration camp

External links

• Satellite imagery and witness accounts of North Korean political prison and reeducation camps
• 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

References

1. ^ Committee for Human Rights in North Korea: Satellite Imagery of the North Korean Gulag: Kwan-li-so No. 18 Bukchang Overview, p. 109
2. ^ Federation of American Scientists: Hwang Jang-yop speaks
3. ^ ”Curious about Dukjang Gulag Where Jeong Ha Cheol Has Been Imprisoned?”, The Daily NK, December 14, 2005
4. ^ The 9th International Conference on North Korea Human Rights and Refugees, Melbourne, March 20, 2009 (page 28)
5. ^ ”North Koreas Hard Labor Camps“ with interactive map, Washington Post, July 20, 2009
6. ^ Committee for Human Rights in North Korea: The Hidden Gulag (Section: Testimony Kwan-li-so No. 18 Bukchang, p. 38)
7. ^ “N Korean officer saw ‘Westerners’ at prison camp”, ABC News, October 23, 2003
8. ^ Committee for Human Rights in North Korea: Satellite Imagery North Korean Gulag: Kwan-li-so No. 18 Bukchang 4th and 5th Division, p. 106
9. ^ Committee for Human Rights in North Korea: Satellite Imagery North Korean Gulag: Kwan-li-so No. 18 Bukchang 4th and 5th Division, p. 105
10. ^ Committee for Human Rights in North Korea: The Hidden Gulag (Section: Testimony Kwan-li-so No. 18 Bukchang, p. 38)
11. ^ United Nations Universal Periodic Review 6th session: Democratic People’s Republic of Korea Submission document (page 9)
12. ^ Committee for Human Rights in North Korea: The Hidden Gulag (Section: Testimony Kwan-li-so No. 18 Bukchang, p. 38)
13. ^ ”Freedom from Morbid Concentration Camp – and then Gloomy Fate”, The Daily NK, April 25, 2011
14. ^ The Independent, "Kim Hye-sook: 'I saw prisoners turned to honeycomb by the bullets'", 13 July 2011; retrieved 18 July 2011.

Political prison camps of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (North Korea) Bukchang Chongjin Haengyong Hwasong Kaechon Yodok