North Korea has 150,000 detainees in political camps, officials say

Photo: North Korea has 150,000 detainees in political camps, officials say

North Korea has 150,000 detainees in political camps, officials say

The inmate numbers, released by opposition lawmaker Song Young-sun, confirm an estimate from the U.S. State Department which has said North Korea has between 150,000 to 200,000 detainees in political camps.

Most of the inmates, including families of defectors and those who attempted to defect, are sentenced to life in prison, Song said citing a written reply on the issue from the National Intelligence Service, the AP reports.

But some prisoners in Yodok, a prison camp about 110 kilometers (70 miles) northeast of the capital Pyongyang, could be released based on review, Song said.

The North Korean prisoners are stripped of their basic rights and forced to work all day on tasks such as coal mining, logging and farming, and are banned from getting married or having children, Song said citing the NIS report.

Kang Chol Hwan, who fled to South Korea in 1992 after serving for a decade in Yodok prison camp, recalled many cases of pregnancy and childbirth inside the camp.

Kang, who met U.S. President George W. Bush last year to discuss his memories of growing up in the prison camp, also said North Korea frequently holds public executions.