A reporting partner inside North Korea with deep knowledge of the country’s prison system recently told Daily NK that prison escapes do occur, but runaways are quickly caught by the authorities.
In January, a prisoner at Hamhung Reeducation Camp “who was doing time for using a Chinese mobile phone and human trafficking escaped and was caught less than 48 hours later,” the reporting partner said on Tuesday, speaking on condition of anonymity.
He added that a total of 17 inmates broke out of Kaechon Reeducation Camp last year, but all were caught and tried within a week.
“Prisoners continue to escape from prison camps, but most are arrested shortly after,” he said.
The reporting partner said that when escapees return to the camps, they are treated even worse and receive increased levels of punishment.
He said fugitives who are caught lose any shortened sentences or pardons they received prior to fleeing.
“They also get 30 days to three months of solitary confinement and receive half the regular amount of food,” he said. “Fugitives cannot bathe, change clothes or exercise.”
“In regards to everything they do outside the camps while on the lam, the authorities go through a process of handing down punishments for additional crimes committed based on reports from local police.”
The reporting partner said for crimes committed after they escape, prisoners see neither a prosecutor nor a court, but are instead investigated, tried and punished by the prison camp authorities.
He said the camps have the authority to decide punishments for escaped prisoners because inmates have been stripped of their citizenship rights.
The reporting partner further noted that while escapees are sometimes shot or given life sentences, “[the authorities] definitely don’t kill everyone who escapes, and escapees are often moved to the toughest part of the camp and given two or three times the amount of disciplinary tasks than normal.”
The cirumstances in Sariwon prison camp, run as a showcase for the international community, differ from other camps, and there are reportedly few escapes.
The camp, which is opened to the international community when it asks to see a North Korean prison to investigate human rights concerns, hosts a select population, most of whom may receive visitors.
The reporting partner said Sariwon Prison is home to the children of cadres who broke the law, and people who turned themselves in just prior to being sent to political prison camps.
“There is less than 400 inmates there, and about 80% of the prisoners can receive visitors,” he said.
Translated by David Black. Edited by Robert Lauler.
Daily NK works with a network of reporting partners who live inside North Korea. Their identities remain anonymous due to security concerns. More information about Daily NK’s reporting partner network and information gathering activities can be found on our FAQ page here.
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