Hwasong concentration camp (

Chosŏn'gŭl The Korean alphabet, known as Hangul, . Hangul may also be written as following South Korea's standard Romanization. ( ) in South Korea and Chosŏn'gŭl in North Korea, is the modern official writing system for the Korean language. The let ...

: , also spelled Hwasŏng or Hwaseong) is a labor camp in

North Korea North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the northern half of the Korean Peninsula and shares borders with China and Russia to the north, at the Yalu (Amnok) and T ...

for political prisoners. The official name is

Kwan-li-so North Korea's political penal labor colonies, transliterated ''kwalliso'' or ''kwan-ri-so'', constitute one of three forms of political imprisonment in the country, the other two being what David Hawk translated as "short-term detention/for ...

(Penal-labor colony) No. 16.

Location

The camp is located in Hwasong County (

Myonggan County Myŏnggan County, formerly known as Hwasŏng County, is a ''kun'', or county, in North Hamgyong province, North Korea. Unlike many Korean districts that date from the Joseon Dynasty, Hwasong was created after liberation. Yŏngan was established ...

North Hamgyong Province North Hamgyong Province (Hamgyŏngbukdo, ) is the northernmost province of North Korea. The province was formed in 1896 from the northern half of the former Hamgyong Province. Geography The province is bordered by China (Jilin) on the north, ...

. It is situated along the upper reaches of the Hwasong River in a secluded mountain valley. The western border is Mantapsan, a mountain. On the north and east sides, the camp reaches the Orangchon River valley. The entrance gate is right on the Hwasong River and on the road from Hwasong, west of Hwasong-up (Myonggan-up). The camp is not included in maps, but the entrance gate and the ring fence with watchtowers can be recognized on satellite images.

Description

Hwasong camp is a penal-labor colony in which detainees are imprisoned for life with no chance to be released. With around in area it is the largest prison camp in North Korea. Puhwa-ri (

: ), north of the entrance gate, is the camp headquarters. The number of prisoners is estimated at 20,000. They are classified as "anti-revolutionary and anti-party elements" and held on charges such as opposing the succession of

Kim Jong-il Kim Jong-il (; ; ; born Yuri Irsenovich Kim;, 16 February 1941 – 17 December 2011) was a North Korean politician who was the second supreme leader of North Korea from 1994 to 2011. He led North Korea from the 1994 death of his father Ki ...

. Many of the prisoners are merely family members of suspected wrongdoers, who are held captive in a “guilt-by-association” punishment. It is believed that the camp was founded in the 1990s.

Working conditions

Prisoners are exploited for hard, dangerous, and deadly labor in mining, logging, and agriculture. According to Mr. Lee, a former security officer in Hwasong camp, the inmates were overworked and had very little time to rest. Prisoners had to work all day until they fulfilled their quotas and attend self-criticism meetings afterward. Often they were allowed to sleep only four hours in the night. Mr. Lee witnessed many fatal accidents in the workplace. The North Korean nuclear tests made in 2006, 2009, 2013 and 2016 at

Punggye-ri Nuclear Test Site Punggye-ri Nuclear Test Site () was the only known nuclear test site of North Korea. Nuclear tests were conducted at the site in October 2006, May 2009, February 2013, January 2016, September 2016, and September 2017. Geography The s ...

is just to the west of the camp border. Several defectors reported that political prisoners were forced to dig tunnels and build underground facilities in areas exposed to nuclear radiation.

Human rights situation

Information is extremely limited, as the camp has always been a maximum security camp under strict control and surveillance. An unidentified teenager reported how he was sent to the camp with his entire family at age 13. He witnessed his father being beaten cruelly and his mother and sisters being raped by security officers. Residents from nearby villages heard about the horrific conditions inside the camp but were never allowed to get near the camp. Security officer Lee explained the methods to execute prisoners in an interview with

Amnesty International Amnesty International (also referred to as Amnesty or AI) is an international non-governmental organization focused on human rights, with its headquarters in the United Kingdom. The organization says it has more than ten million members and s ...

. He witnessed prisoners forced to dig their own graves and being killed with hammer blows to their necks. He also witnessed prison officers strangling detainees and then beating them to death with wooden sticks. According to him, several women were raped by the officials and executed secretly thereafter.

Camp expansion

Analysis of satellite images by Amnesty International in October 2013 shows that the prisoner population of Hwasong camp has slightly increased compared to 2008. In several prisoner villages, new housing structures and new administrative buildings can be identified. Some of the new prisoners may have been relocated from

Hoeryong concentration camp Hoeryong concentration camp (or Haengyong concentration camp) was a prison camp in North Korea that was reported to have been closed in 2012. The official name was Kwalliso (penal labour colony) No. 22. The camp was a maximum security area, comp ...

to Hwasong.

Former prisoners/guards (witnesses)

* Besides the unidentified teenager, no former prisoner was found to provide a direct testimony, probably for fear of retribution. * Mr. Lee (full name withheld for his safety; 1980s - mid-1990s in Hwasong) was a security officer in the camp.

References

External links

* – Overview of North Korean prison camps with testimonies and satellite photographs. * – Comprehensive analysis of various aspects of life in political prison camps. * – Analysis of satellite images of Hwasong camp and Yodok camp. * – Video with testimonies about Hwasong camp and Yodok camp.
One Free Korea
– Camp 16 and Mt. Mantap Nuclear Test Site (satellite images with explanations).
The Daily NK: The Hub of North Korean News
– News about North Korea and human rights. {{Political prison camps of North Korea Concentration camps in North Korea