Lee Soon Ok
Encyclopedia
Lee Soon Ok is a former political prisoner
and defector
from North Korea
. She resides in South Korea
.
where she has reported witnessing forced abortion
s, infanticide
, several instances of rape
, public executions, testing of biological weapons on prisoners (see human experimentation in North Korea), extreme malnutrition
and various other forms of inhuman conditions and depravity. It is not clear why she was released, although Lee suspects that the same officials responsible for jailing her were themselves the subject of investigations by higher ranking members of North Korea's government.
. about her cruel treatment in the camp but never received a response and was eventually threatened with unspecified consequences if she wrote any more letters. She managed to reunite with her son and escape from North Korea soon afterward, converting to Christianity
along the way. Her husband disappeared during her imprisonment and she has never heard from him since.
Since escaping with her son via China
to South Korea in 1995, Lee has written Eyes of the Tailless Animals: Prison Memoirs of a North Korean Woman
, a memoir of her six year imprisonment on false charges in Kaechon concentration camp. She has testified before the US Congress and at churches worldwide, estimating that in her camp alone there were at least 6,000 political prisoners. Ms. Lee has been partially disabled due to the physical torture she was subjected to for well over a year, including but not limited to water torture
.
Along with fellow North Korean prison camp internees Kang Chol-Hwan
and An Hyuk
(both were in Yodok concentration camp
), she received the Democracy Award from the American non-profit organization National Endowment for Democracy
in July 2003.
Political prisoner
According to the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, a political prisoner is ‘someone who is in prison because they have opposed or criticized the government of their own country’....
and defector
Defection
In politics, a defector is a person who gives up allegiance to one state or political entity in exchange for allegiance to another. More broadly, it involves abandoning a person, cause or doctrine to whom or to which one is bound by some tie, as of allegiance or duty.This term is also applied,...
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...
. She resides in 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...
.
Imprisonment
For six years, Lee was imprisoned in Kaechon concentration campKaechon concentration camp
Kaechon concentration camp is a prison in North Korea with many political prisoners. The official name is Kyo-hwa-so No. 1. It is not to be confused with Kaechon internment camp Kaechon concentration camp (Hangeul: , also spelled Kae'chŏn or Gaecheon) is a prison in North Korea with many...
where she has reported witnessing forced abortion
Abortion
Abortion is defined as the termination of pregnancy by the removal or expulsion from the uterus of a fetus or embryo prior to viability. An abortion can occur spontaneously, in which case it is usually called a miscarriage, or it can be purposely induced...
s, infanticide
Infanticide
Infanticide or infant homicide is the killing of a human infant. Neonaticide, a killing within 24 hours of a baby's birth, is most commonly done by the mother.In many past societies, certain forms of infanticide were considered permissible...
, several instances of rape
Rape
Rape is a type of sexual assault usually involving sexual intercourse, which is initiated by one or more persons against another person without that person's consent. The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, abuse of authority or with a person who is incapable of valid consent. The...
, public executions, testing of biological weapons on prisoners (see human experimentation in North Korea), extreme malnutrition
Malnutrition
Malnutrition is the condition that results from taking an unbalanced diet in which certain nutrients are lacking, in excess , or in the wrong proportions....
and various other forms of inhuman conditions and depravity. It is not clear why she was released, although Lee suspects that the same officials responsible for jailing her were themselves the subject of investigations by higher ranking members of North Korea's government.
Defection
Lee wrote several letters of protest to North Korean leader Kim Jong-ilKim Jong-il
Kim Jong-il, also written as Kim Jong Il, birth name Yuri Irsenovich Kim born 16 February 1941 or 16 February 1942 , is the Supreme Leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea...
. about her cruel treatment in the camp but never received a response and was eventually threatened with unspecified consequences if she wrote any more letters. She managed to reunite with her son and escape from North Korea soon afterward, converting to Christianity
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
along the way. Her husband disappeared during her imprisonment and she has never heard from him since.
Since escaping with her son via 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...
to South Korea in 1995, Lee has written Eyes of the Tailless Animals: Prison Memoirs of a North Korean Woman
Eyes of the Tailless Animals: Prison Memoirs of a North Korean Woman
Eyes of the Tailless Animals: Prison Memoirs of a North Korean Woman recounts the experiences of former North Korean political prison survivor and refugee Soon Ok Lee ....
, a memoir of her six year imprisonment on false charges in Kaechon concentration camp. She has testified before the US Congress and at churches worldwide, estimating that in her camp alone there were at least 6,000 political prisoners. Ms. Lee has been partially disabled due to the physical torture she was subjected to for well over a year, including but not limited to water torture
Water torture
-Forced ingestion:In this form of water torture, water is forced down the throat and into the stomach. It was used as a legal torture and execution method by the courts in France in the 17th and 18th century, was employed against Americans and Chinese during World War II by the Japanese, and was...
.
Along with fellow North Korean prison camp internees Kang Chol-Hwan
Kang Chol-Hwan
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...
and 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...
(both were in 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:...
), she received the Democracy Award from the American non-profit organization National Endowment for Democracy
National Endowment for Democracy
The National Endowment for Democracy, or NED, is a U.S. non-profit organization that was founded in 1983 to promote US-friendly democracy by providing cash grants funded primarily through an annual allocation from the U.S. Congress...
in July 2003.
Further reading
- United States Senate Hearings: Testimony of Ms. Soon Ok Lee – Lee Soon-oks testimony to the US Senate Judiciary Committee June 21, 2002
- Lee, Soon Ok. Eyes of the Tailless Animals: Prison Memoirs of a North Korean WomanEyes of the Tailless Animals: Prison Memoirs of a North Korean WomanEyes of the Tailless Animals: Prison Memoirs of a North Korean Woman recounts the experiences of former North Korean political prison survivor and refugee Soon Ok Lee ....
. Living Sacrifice Book Co, 1999. ISBN 978-0882643359 꼬리 없는 짐승들의 눈빛 - "Made in North Korea", Harper's MagazineHarper's MagazineHarper's Magazine is a monthly magazine of literature, politics, culture, finance, and the arts, with a generally left-wing perspective. It is the second-oldest continuously published monthly magazine in the U.S. . The current editor is Ellen Rosenbush, who replaced Roger Hodge in January 2010...
Vol. 305 Issue 1830, November 2002, pp.20-22.
External links
- "A survivor: Soon Ok Lee", Crisis in the Koreas, MSNBC, 2003
- "Soon Ok Lee", World Christian Ministries
- "Interview: Soon Ok Lee", AsiaLink, 2003
- Martin, Bradley K. "Under the loving care of the fatherly leader", 2004; p.611
- "The Hidden Gulag: Exposing North Korea’s Prison Camps", Committee for Human Rights in North Korea; Table of Contents
- "Praying for a Revolution in North Korea", Persecution.tv; pp.6-7