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“Those seven North Koreans forcefully repatriated recently will all die.”
A North Korean defector (age 35, defected in 2002) Lee Ji Chul once again repeated, “they will all die” in a lower voice shivering in fear.
The seven North Koreans who broke into the Korean International School in Tianfin, China, on August 29 were forcefully repatriated. Their destiny is foreseeable. The North Korean border transgressors receive inhumane treatment from the moment they get arrested. Especially those who escaped the country for a political purpose face nothing more and nothing less than sole death as Lee Ji Chul described.
| Step 1 |
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The Border Unit in China – Detention Facility in China – National Security Agency |
When the border transgressors are arrested, they are interrogated first by the Chinese police. Then they are put into jail until enough defectors are arrested and are repatriated together. About 15 to 20 are sent back at a time.
The North Korean defectors in South Korea all testify, “When we were in the jail in China was the happiest time.” At least they were treated as human beings in China but in North Korea, they are treated as animals.
Those arrested in the border areas right across North Hamkyung province such as Jilin, Heilongjiang of China are first sent to Guard cell of the border unit then to Tumen detention facility, and finally to the Security Agency located in Namyang, Onsung of North Hamkying province.
| Step 2 |
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Namyang Security Agency – Detention Facility – National Security Agency near the area of residence of the prisoner |
– Lee, 00 (female, age 35, repatriated in 1999, defected to SK in 2002)
“The moment you enter the waiting room in the detention facility, the guards make you take of all your clothes regardless of your sex, even the underwear. They beat you and take all your possessions. They examine your naked body, and I cannot describe all the shame I felt.”
– Kim, 00 (male, age 45, repatriated in 2003, defected to SK in 2004)
“I was put into a detention facility for ten days. In ten days two died. The cell was about 19.8-23㎡ but six to seven people were there. There is a bucket instead of a toilet but because there were other people, it was hard to use the “toilet.”
Those sent to Namyang Security Agency sign the paper vowing that they will not testify falsely and compose a written statement.
The written statement must include purpose of border transgression, process and life in China with indication of dates. After they are done writing the statement, the transgressors are chained on their feet and put into detention facility fore each of them are transferred to Security Agency near their original residence (hometown).
In the detention facility, their conduct physical examinations and the transgressors lose all their belongings. In a small room of detention facility, as little as few tens and as many as over a hundred people are put to stay together. They receive three spoons of corn noodles and corn powder for each meal.
They do not get enough water to drink and they have to earn permission of the guard to go to toilet. Some people die before they even get to the Security Agency of each region if not suffer of severe malnutrition.
| Step 3 |
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Sent to Rodong-danryeon-dae(labor detention facility), Kyo-wha-so(long term prison labor camp) and political prisoners camp According to the level of crime |
– Shin 00 (male, age 43, repatriated in 2002, defected in 2003)
“When transferred to different areas, we are treated worse than a dot. They chain our feet and move us on a freight truck. During the transfer we cannot put our heads up, and if they do not like anything we do, we are severely beaten.”
– Kim, 00 (male, age 51, repatriated in 2001, defected in 2003)
“In each of the regional Security Agency you have to say the right things. If you say anything about South Korea or find out that you are received help from churches inside China, you are considered as a political criminal and sent to political prisoners camp or Rodong-danryeon-dae #55. The Rodong-danryeon-dae #55 is notorious place known for six out of ten prisoners come out as corps.”
The Security Agency officials of each area transfer the prisoners to different areas. After interrogations, the regional Security Agency’s determine degree of punishment for the prisoners. Those who have merely transgressed the border for food are sentenced to relatively less years in Rodong-danryeon-dae. The prisoners spend as short as two to three months and as long as six months doing forced labor.
Those who have defected for a political purpose or have defected a number of times are sentenced to heavy punishments. They are sent to Kyo-hwa-so, political detention camp or Rodong-danryeon-dae #55. The guards write down the sentence of those suspicious determining the level of punishment.
The composed statement goes through ratification process in municipal inspection and investigation, then provincial, then finally ratification of the central prosecutor’s office. After the complete ratification, the statement is sent back to where it came from so the sentence can be given to the prisoner.
Six out of Ten Come Out as Corps, ‘Rodong-danryeon-dae #55’
– Choi 00 (male, age 39, imprisonment in Rodong-danryeon-dae #55 in 2002, defected to SK in 2003)
“As soon as you wake up at 5a.m., you have to put on your bucket-sack (where you put sand, rocks to carry) on your shoulders. Each one has a name engraved, so you have to watch out. You have to run all the time. If you walk, they whip you mercilessly. When you put sand and dirt into the bucket-sack, it becomes as heavy as 20kg. Even though it is very heavy, if you can’t run, you have to at least pretend like running. You work from 5am to 8am and receive the first meal of the day. The meal is bread made out of corn and corn stem mixed powder and soy sauce and cabbage soup. You eat at the construction site. I eat only enough to sustain life and start working again immediately. You work until late at night and you feel your body as heavy as metal. After few months of living like this, even the healthiest person suffer of malnutrition. More than half of the prisoners die before they are released.
As the number of border transgressors increased after the 1990s, they built a new detention camp only to imprison border transgressors, “Rodong-danryeon-dae #55” in 2000.
The Rodong-danryeon-dae #55 is located in Yongkwang, Hamheung, of South Hankyung province. Its name changed from ‘Kyo-hwa-so #22’ to ‘Rodong-danryeon-dae #55’. Here, there are criminals who committed heavy crimes but many are those who attempted defection several times.
Despite such a small amount of food as to give malnutrition and heavy labor, the prisoners are still forced to run. Even if you do not die, once you are released, you have to rely on a cane to walk after suffering so much.
After their release, the prisoners face the harsh society where the reality does no differ much from insider the prison, so majority of them reattempt defection.
