The Hidden Gulag - US Committee for Human Rights in North Korea

The Hidden Gulag Second Editionwith South Koreans, he was accused of spyingfor South Korea. He had made the mistake ofmaking remarks critical of the Kim regime to adinner companion in China who turned out to bea North Korean police informant.In July 1999, he was picked up by the HoeryongBo-wi-bu State Security Police for interrogationat a large underground detention facility. Forsome six or seven months, he was beaten andtortured to confess to spying for South Korea.He was beaten with a wooden stick, whichbroke many of his teeth and scarred the back ofhis head. Much more painful was the so-called“pigeon torture” which pinned the arms behindthe back and attached the prisoner to cell barsin ways that made it impossible to either sitdown or stand up and caused paralyzing painin the shoulders. During these torture sessionshe was not allowed to go to the toilet, and hadto urinate and defecate in his pants. During histime in the underground cells, two fellow prisonersdied in detention.He was also deprived of food, and his weightdropped from 75 to 38 kg (165 to 84 pounds).Driven by hunger, he agreed to confess inexchange for some food. After eating he recantedhis false confession, for which he was againbeaten severely. Shortly thereafter he was visitedby what he described as a “prosecutor,” whoasked him if the spying charges he confessed towere true. At first, he claimed that he confessedfalsely under duress, but the charges wereaccepted as true. Like other prisoners, he alsohoped that even a false confession would resultin a transfer to a kyo-hwa-so prison or kwan-li-solabor camp where at least he would be able towalk around.In late March or early April, 2002 Jung wastransferred to a “re-revolutionizing” area ofYodok, in a sub-section called “Sorimchon,”which had been set up in October of 1999following the closing of the “singles” sectionof Baeksan “village” area. Before deportationtoYodok, Bo-wi-bu police stopped off at hishome to pick up bedding, clothes, eating utensilsand other belongings. So his family knew he wasbeing taken somewhere, but they were never toldwhere or why.This small “village” within the sprawling campheld some 230 prisoners, about thirty of whowere women. Mr. Jung was assigned to agriculturallabor and construction, most notably at afish farm. He could see people working in theadjacent “total control zones” within the Yodokcamp, though there was barbed wire between thevarious sections and people in the different zoneswere not allowed to talk to one another.Sorimchon was administered by Bureau Seven,the “enlightenment” or “re-education” bureau.He witnessed beatings by the guards, but notsystematic torture. He believes, however, thatthere was systematic torture at the ku-ryu-jangpunishment facilities of Camp 15’s centralBo-wi-bu headquarters because the prisoners sentthere for infractions of camp rules came back“in such very bad shape.” Notwithstanding suchleniencies as watching television every otherSunday, Mr. Jung witnessed twenty-six fellowprisoners die and another six taken away whichhe believes was for execution in this relativelyprivileged re-education section during his threeyears of detention. Of the twenty-six knowndeaths, twenty-three were from malnutrition,two were from public execution, and one as aresult of torture.66