[imText1]November 19, 1982. A cry of a young boy could be heard from No. 14 political prison camp. The first sight from his birth was his mother in prison clothes. From the moment he could first speak, he realized this was a “political prison camp. Words like despair or rage, joy or love were not known. One had to work from sunrise and resignedly had to receive beatings. He was not even interested in what kind of a place this was or what the outside world was like. The place was his entire world for 22 years. People called this place a political prison camp.
Shin Dong Hyuk (26), who was born and confined in a political prison camp for 22 years, had his first interview with the South Korean media on the 28th with DailyNK.
Mr. Shin, who had been suffering mental side-effects due to his long period of confinement, had a difficult time even responding during the interview. After the Japanese media’s reportage, he said the eyes of people who did not believe his testimony of escaping from a political prison were burdensome to him.
Even though Mr. Shin was born in a political prison camp in Kaechon, South Pyongan, he could not explain the layout, the size, or the overall situation of the prison very well due to the fact that he had lived in an abandoned village from the time of his birth to the time of his escape.
He began to divulge his full story, saying, “I will say what I know regardless of what others say.”
He did not know the nature of the crime under which his parents were led to the prison. He did not even know how the two married. These were topics which he was not even remotely interested in inside the camp.
They selected the best laborers and forced “honorary marriages.”
“Inside the camp (called an Kwanliso in North Korea, which means office literally), the best workers were selected and married off. This was called an “honorary marriage”’ but it seemed more like a reward for getting prisoners to work more or to facilitate fraud. There were occasionally people who got married this way, so I wonder if my parents also fall under this category. What people inside the camp want the most is these ‘honorary marriages.’”
His father and mother lived together for around five days, then had to live separately. His mother, albeit appearing destitute, could live by herself. Mr. Shin also had a brother, but his family lived in working village No. 8. (The names of villages are not specifically assigned, but are named according to working parties.)
“I realized from very early on that this place I was in was a ‘political prison camp.’ I found out naturally that my mother or ancestors committed a sin, so that is why we ended up here. Because I didn’t know what the outside world was like, I did not have thoughts about wanting to leave. I lived in the village until I left the prison.”
He lived with his mother until age 10, but on New Year or on special days, his father received “honorary days-off” and periodically visited his mother.
Mr. Shin, after age 10, had to live in an all-male dormitory. Since then, he had to rise at 4 AM and worked in forced labor for 12 hours a day. In the year he turned 7 years old, he entered the People’s School inside the camp. The prison operated the school, which was formed into five years of People’s School and six years of middle and high school.
“A cruel existence continued…we were people who got treated poorly.”
“Classes lasted four hours in the morning and two hours in the afternoon. The National Security agents were the teachers and we did not have textbooks. We learned the Korean language, mathematics, and physical education, and wrote during Korean class and learned addition and subtraction. Grade levels did not have any meaning. After school, we had to work no matter what. After middle and high school, there were many instances when we had to go out to work early in the morning.”
Mr. Shin was given a pen and a piece of paper to draw his middle and high school and the location of his residence. He said, “It was a five-minute distance by foot, but I cannot accurately say, because I did not have a sense of direction.”
“We usually worked on farm support, road construction, coal mine support, and gathering trees. Sometimes, I thought that I did not want to work because the work was difficult, but I had to do it. The older the people got, the hours worked became longer and they had to do more difficult work.”
During the period he attended the People’s School, there were occasional free times, during which he played hide and seek with his classmates. When asked, “Did you enjoy your time with friends?” He replied, “There wasn’t anyone whom I truly considered as a friend. I have never even thought of anyone as a friend. I did not even know the meaning of the word ‘happy.’ I only got the feeling once in a while.”
The Security Agency agents who inspected them inside the camp had to be called “teacher.” “When we encountered them, we had to make way and acknowledge them. There was a sense of fear, because we had been beaten countless times over this. However, because we thought “we are people whom they can treat harshly,” we did not particularly feel any antagonism.”
When asked, “What was the most severe punishment you received from an officer?” He said, “Each day was cruel, so I cannot pick a single day.” Mr. Shin did not give detailed responses to questions regarding occurrences of human rights violations in the camps. Beatings or torture were merely daily occurrences to him.
“If we did not listen, we could have been beaten to death. From the time I attended the People’s School, there were occasionally friends who bled on their heads and died. I have been beaten severely as well.”
From the time of birth, he only received corn rice and salty soup. He did not even see any other foods until his escape from the camp. “I was always hungry. When I went to do farm work, I secretly picked and ate cucumbers, eggplants, etc. I even caught and ate rats. Most people inside the prison were famished.” (continues.)
