[JURIST] The North Korean government is holding approximately 200,000 dissidents in six prison camps spread throughout the country, according to a report released Wednesday by the South Korean government’s National Human Rights Commission of Korea (NHRCK). According to the report, punishments for dissidents have increased significantly for common offenses such as attempting to escape. The report also said that five of these six prisons are death camps and that prisoners sent to them are never released. This is the first time a state agency has conducted a review of human rights in North Korea.
In October, UN Special Rapporteur for North Korea Vitit Muntarbhorn criticized North Korea for human rights violations. Muntarbhorn said North Korea was responsible for a broad range of egregious human rights violations including torture, public executions, and widespread hunger. North Korea’s deputy UN ambassador Pak Tok-Hun has condemned the report and defended the country’s rights record before the council.