North Korean
Detention Facilities
48.4% of North Korean human rights violations take place in detention facilities
According to the Unified Human Rights Database operated by NKDB, around 48.4% of cases take place in a detention facility. As of July 2020, 30,057 out of 78,798 cases of human rights violations recorded in the Unified Human Rights Database stem from illegal detention.
48.4%
of Locations of Human Rights Violations
30,057
Illegal Detentions
Updated in September 2020
There are over 700 operational detention facilities in North Korea
Based on NKDB's analysis of over 100,000 archived North Korean human rights violations, there are approximately 700 detention facilities currently in operating in North Korea. The restricted access to North Korea poses obstacles to making appropriate estimates about the size and management of these facilities. However, through extensive investigation and research, NKDB estimates that over 100,000 people are detained in these facilities. Data regarding North Korean detention facilities is primarily collected through official documents and presentation materials produced by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea and the testimonies of North Korean escapees who were imprisoned or formerly worked inside these facilities.
Major Types and Causes of Human Rights Violations in Detention Facilities
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Cause | Detailed Cause |
Condition of the Facilities | Inadequate Detention Facilities |
Inadequate Medical Treatment | |
Operation and Management System | Violations in the course of arrest, trial, and process of preliminary investigation |
Violations during entry into detention facilities | |
Violations during discharge | |
Lack of basic necessities | |
Inadequate food provision | |
Violations of human rights in everyday life | |
Administrator | Extreme torture and violence against prisoners |
Major Human Rights Issues | Public and Secret Executions |
Forced Abortion/Infanticide | |
Torture and Assault | |
Sexual Assault |
Total Control Areas, Political Prison Camps
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Political Prison Camps |
As the core component of state terrorism, the political prison camps not only aim to strengthen the 'Juche' ideology and hereditary dictatorship but also to eliminate any ideological, political, and social uprising. All Political Prison Camps are currently operating as total control areas; the prisoners are deprived of their civil rights and forced to do intensive labor, experiencing pain until their death. |
Currently Operational Political Prison Camps | Chongjin No. 25, Kaechon No. 14, Hwasong No. 16, Yodok No. 15 |
Operational Goals | Strengthen the hereditary dictatorship and eliminate any ideological, political, and social uprising |
Characteristics | Organizational and widespread torture and inhumane treatment, guilt-by-association, high-intensity labor exploitation, all currently operated as total control areas |
Types of Prisoners | Political criminals, guilt-by-association |
Number of Prisoners | Est. 100,000-200,000 |
Location and Current Situation of Political Prison Camps
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Camp | Location | Type of Prisoners |
No. 14 | Oedong-ri & 5 other valleys, Kaechon City, South Pyongan Province | Offender and Family |
No. 15 | The areas of Ryongpyong-ri, Pyongjol-li, Ipsok, Taesung-ri, Kuup-ri & Sorimchon, Yodok County, South Pyongan Province | Offender and Family |
No. 16 | Areas of Puhwa-ri, Hwasong County, North Hamgyong Province | Family |
No. 25 | Susong-dong, Songpyong District, Chongjin City, North Hamgyong Province | Offender |
The ways political prison camps are designated vary, but are generally called political prison camps in South Korea. In North Korea, they are called 'Control Centers (or Kwaliso),' 'Total Control Zones,' or 'Closed Zones.' Additionally, we know that political prison camps are officially referred to as a '0000 Unit' within the camps themselves, similar to the official designation for military units.
Under North Korean law and the law enforcement system, the regulations under which political prison camps are named, established, and operated has not yet become clear. However, through the experiences of those who have been detained there, as well as the testimony of those who have worked there, it has been confirmed that these political prison camps are meant to protect the 'Juche' ideology and the system that revolves around the leader. Any challenges to the ideology, politics or social order are prevented through a reign of terror that serves as the core of this system.
In order to prevent any future threats to the system, an extreme aspect of punishment through guilt-by-association was introduced, a concept difficult to accept in modern society. Through past investigations done by NKDB, there is reason to believe this practice continues today in places like Hwasong Political Prison Camp No. 16, where not those suspected of crimes, but their families, are detained. There are also camps where the suspect and the families are detained together, and for this reason, there are cases of camps that contain tens of thousands of prisoners, including Yodok Political Prison Camp No. 15, which spans over 1/3 of Yodok County in South Hamgyong Province.
Construction and Changes in the Population of Political Prison Camps
From the 1950s |
Construction of the Political Prison Camps begins |
The 1960s-1970s |
The core of the class-strata (Landlords and Factory Owners) Prisoners of War (POWs), Families of expelled party members (Three Generations of Punishment) |
The 1980s-1990s |
International students, spies, etc. |
The 2000s |
Attempted defectors to South Korea, Christians, etc. |
NKDB Research Papers published on Political Prison Camps and Detention Facilities