The location of Camp 17, a North Korean camp for political prisoners, is regarded as classified information even within the country, Daily NK has learned.
“That’s such a well-kept secret that not even police documents list the exact place name or information about the hills or neighborhoods. The exact geographical details are carefully controlled according to government policy on classified information,” a source in North Korea told Daily NK on Wednesday, speaking on condition of anonymity.
According to the source, North Korea conceals the actual location of Camp 17 behind a fictitious place name. Official documents state that Camp 17 consists of a main camp in the M—— neighborhood of Kaechon and two smaller camps in the K—— neighborhood. But the M—— and K—— neighborhoods are places ordinary North Koreans have never heard of.
“While Camp 17 is supposedly located in Kaechon, it might not be in the city at all. In fact, it might not even be in that administrative area,” the source said.
He further explained that accurate information about Camp 17 has never been disclosed because the Ministry of Social Security, which manages the camp, maintains a strict policy of confidentiality. Information about the existence and operation of Camp 17 is kept top secret and strictly controlled to ensure it is not leaked.
“Only a tiny number of people inside the Ministry of Social Security can access information [about Camp 17], so most people in the ministry don’t know anything about it. Reports about happenings at the camp are limited to documents and kept to a single channel with restricted staffers,” the source said.
“Even the residence, moves and relocations of the family members of camp staff are treated as classified material,” the source added.
According to a 2013 report by the Korean Institute for National Unification about North Korea’s political prison camps, Camp 17 was closed sometime around 1983. Daily NK reporting suggests, however, that the camp was reinstated under orders from North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in November 2014.
Kim reopened the camp because of major purges that took place after he came to power, but its operations remain top secret.
Camp 17 is currently used to incarcerate political prisoners who have criticized party policy or rebelled against the government, with most of them serving life sentences, the source said.
“The camp not only houses those who have criticized the party or its leader or engaged in behavior the state regards as reactionary, but also religious activists, people who have tried to defect to South Korea from the North or other countries and their family members, and people who have raised questions about government policy. These people are forced to live in truly bestial conditions."
Camp 17 is operated as a "total control zone"
According to a survey by Daily NK, the population at Camp 17 increased from around 21,000 in 2020 to around 44,000 in 2023.
“The camp population has seen a big jump because more people expressed their political opinions or opposed policy given the strong dissatisfaction with the government during the pandemic,” the source said.
“Camp 17 has the toughest discipline of any prison camp under the management of the Ministry of Social Security. The camp’s focus is not on rehabilitating inmates to return them to society, but on cordoning them off from society,” he added.
North Korea’s prison camps are still divided into “total control zones,” for those who can never be released back into society, and “revolutionary zones,” for those who may eventually be released. Camps managed by the Ministry of Social Security are typically revolutionary zones, while camps managed by the Ministry of State Security are typically total control zones.
According to the source, Camp 17 is operated as a total control zone despite being under the management of the Ministry of Social Security.
Translated by David Carruth. Edited by Robert Lauler.
Daily NK works with a network of sources living in North Korea, China, and elsewhere. Their identities remain anonymous for security reasons. For more information about Daily NK’s network of reporting partners and information-gathering activities, please visit our FAQ page here.
Please send any comments or questions about this article to dailynkenglish@uni-media.net.
