Kang Chol-Hwan
Encyclopedia
Kang Chol-Hwan is a defector
from North Korea
. As a child he was imprisoned in the Yodok concentration camp
for 10 years; after his release he fled the country, first to China
and eventually to South Korea
. He is the author, with Pierre Rigolout, of The Aquariums of Pyongyang
and is a staff writer for The Chosun Ilbo
.
, North Korea
, Kang spent his childhood in Pyongyang
, where his family lived in relative luxury owing to his grandfather's position and the fortune he had given to the country upon the family's return from Japan
. Though they had never renounced their Korean citizenship and Kang's grandmother had been a staunch Party member in both countries, the family remained under a cloud of suspicion for having lived in Japan. In 1977, his grandfather was accused of treason
and was sent to the notoriously brutal Senghori concentration camp
. According to current KCNA
propaganda by the North Korean government, the elder Kang was an agent of the Japanese National Police
. As the family of a traitor, Kang and his family were sent to the Yodok concentration camp
. Kang was 9 years old; his sister Mi-ho was just 7.
Life was brutal in the camp. Death from starvation or exposure to the elements was a constant threat, and beatings and other punishments were routine. His education consisted almost solely of memorizing the sayings and speeches of Kim Il-sung
; at 15 his education ceased and he was assigned to exhausting and dangerous work details, and was made to view public executions. He said of the camps, "It was a life of hard labour, thirty per cent of new prisoners would die. And we were so malnourished, we would eat rats and earthworms to survive." Ten years later he and his family were released.
After release from the camp, Kang proceeded with his life and lived for a few years in North Korea. He owned an illegal radio receiver and listened to broadcasts from the South. In 1992, he and fellow Yodok internee An Hyuk
escaped from North Korea by crossing the Yalu River
into China. Kang then moved from China to South Korea
.
After publishing The Aquariums of Pyongyang, Kang met with US President George W. Bush
and British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw
and has spoken with several organizations about human rights in North Korea
. He has not been in contact with his family since defecting.
North Korean defectors
A number of individuals have defected from North Korea. Since the division of Korea after World War II and the end of the Korean War , many people have defected from North Korea, mainly for political, ideological, religious and economic reasons...
from North Korea
North Korea
The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea , , is a country in East Asia, occupying the northern half of the Korean Peninsula. Its capital and largest city is Pyongyang. The Korean Demilitarized Zone serves as the buffer zone between North Korea and South Korea...
. As a child he was imprisoned in the Yodok concentration camp
Yodok concentration camp
Yodok concentration camp is a political prison camp in North Korea. The official name is Kwan-li-so No. 15.-Location:...
for 10 years; after his release he fled the country, first to China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
and eventually to South Korea
South Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
. He is the author, with Pierre Rigolout, of The Aquariums of Pyongyang
The Aquariums of Pyongyang
The Aquariums of Pyongyang, by Kang Chol-Hwan and Pierre Rigoulot, is an account of the imprisonment of Kang Chol-Hwan and his family in the Yodok concentration camp in North Korea....
and is a staff writer for The Chosun Ilbo
The Chosun Ilbo
The Chosun Ilbo is one of the major newspapers in South Korea. With a daily circulation of over 2,200,000, the Chosun Ilbo has undertaken annual inspections since Audit Bureau of Circulations was established in 1993...
.
Biography
Born in PyongyangPyongyang
Pyongyang is the capital of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, commonly known as North Korea, and the largest city in the country. Pyongyang is located on the Taedong River and, according to preliminary results from the 2008 population census, has a population of 3,255,388. The city was...
, North Korea
North Korea
The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea , , is a country in East Asia, occupying the northern half of the Korean Peninsula. Its capital and largest city is Pyongyang. The Korean Demilitarized Zone serves as the buffer zone between North Korea and South Korea...
, Kang spent his childhood in Pyongyang
Pyongyang
Pyongyang is the capital of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, commonly known as North Korea, and the largest city in the country. Pyongyang is located on the Taedong River and, according to preliminary results from the 2008 population census, has a population of 3,255,388. The city was...
, where his family lived in relative luxury owing to his grandfather's position and the fortune he had given to the country upon the family's return from Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
. Though they had never renounced their Korean citizenship and Kang's grandmother had been a staunch Party member in both countries, the family remained under a cloud of suspicion for having lived in Japan. In 1977, his grandfather was accused of treason
Treason
In law, treason is the crime that covers some of the more extreme acts against one's sovereign or nation. Historically, treason also covered the murder of specific social superiors, such as the murder of a husband by his wife. Treason against the king was known as high treason and treason against a...
and was sent to the notoriously brutal Senghori concentration camp
Senghori concentration camp
The Sŭnghori concentration camp is a labor camp for political prisoners which is said to have existed in North Korea, about 70 kilometers from Pyongyang.Little is known about it as its inmates are considered 'irredeemables' and never released...
. According to current KCNA
Korean Central News Agency
The Korean Central News Agency is the state news agency of North Korea and has existed since December 5, 1946. KCNA is headquartered in the capital city of Pyongyang...
propaganda by the North Korean government, the elder Kang was an agent of the Japanese National Police
National Police Agency (Japan)
The is an agency administered by the National Public Safety Commission of the Cabinet Office in the cabinet of Japan, and is the central coordinating agency of the Japanese police system....
. As the family of a traitor, Kang and his family were sent to the Yodok concentration camp
Yodok concentration camp
Yodok concentration camp is a political prison camp in North Korea. The official name is Kwan-li-so No. 15.-Location:...
. Kang was 9 years old; his sister Mi-ho was just 7.
Life was brutal in the camp. Death from starvation or exposure to the elements was a constant threat, and beatings and other punishments were routine. His education consisted almost solely of memorizing the sayings and speeches of Kim Il-sung
Kim Il-sung
Kim Il-sung was a Korean communist politician who led the Democratic People's Republic of Korea from its founding in 1948 until his death in 1994. He held the posts of Prime Minister from 1948 to 1972 and President from 1972 to his death...
; at 15 his education ceased and he was assigned to exhausting and dangerous work details, and was made to view public executions. He said of the camps, "It was a life of hard labour, thirty per cent of new prisoners would die. And we were so malnourished, we would eat rats and earthworms to survive." Ten years later he and his family were released.
After release from the camp, Kang proceeded with his life and lived for a few years in North Korea. He owned an illegal radio receiver and listened to broadcasts from the South. In 1992, he and fellow Yodok internee An Hyuk
An Hyuk
An Hyuk is a North Korean defector. He formerly lived as an expatriate in China, and repatriated to North Korea in 1986; however, he was accused of spying, and imprisoned at the Yodok concentration camp. He escaped from North Korea together with Kang Chol-Hwan, whom he met while interned at Yodok...
escaped from North Korea by crossing the Yalu River
Yalu River
The Yalu River or the Amnok River is a river on the border between North Korea and the People's Republic of China....
into China. Kang then moved from China to South Korea
South Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
.
After publishing The Aquariums of Pyongyang, Kang met with US President George W. Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
and British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw
Jack Straw (politician)
John Whitaker Straw is a British Labour Party politician who has been the Member of Parliament for Blackburn since 1979. He served as Home Secretary from 1997 to 2001, Foreign Secretary from 2001 to 2006 and Lord Privy Seal and Leader of the House of Commons from 2006 to 2007 under Tony Blair...
and has spoken with several organizations about human rights in North Korea
Human rights in North Korea
The human rights record of North Korea is extremely hard to fully assess due to the secretive and closed nature of the country. The North Korean government makes it very difficult for foreigners to enter the country and strictly monitors their activities when they do...
. He has not been in contact with his family since defecting.
See also
- Yodok concentration campYodok concentration campYodok concentration camp is a political prison camp in North Korea. The official name is Kwan-li-so No. 15.-Location:...
- List of Korea-related topics
- List of Koreans
- Human rights in North KoreaHuman rights in North KoreaThe human rights record of North Korea is extremely hard to fully assess due to the secretive and closed nature of the country. The North Korean government makes it very difficult for foreigners to enter the country and strictly monitors their activities when they do...
External links
- "Child Prisoner: Kang Chol-hwan", MSN.com article, October 28, 2003.
- "Bush 'Moved By Defector's Book on N.K. Human Rights'", The Chosun Ilbo, May 29, 2005.
- "Ban Downplays Bush Meeting With N.Korean Author", The Chosun Ilbo, June 15, 2005.