Shin Dong-Hyuk on his scars and memories of being tortured at Camp 14.
I made an interactive map of Camp-14 in North Korea.
White plots with stars in them contain a detailed description of the idenitifed place. Blue plots all pertain to Shin Dong-Hyuk’s life in Camp-14; blue plots with stars in them contain detailed descriptions. Other plots pertain to Kim Yong’s experience in Camp-14, though it was far shorter than Shin’s time.
Example of detailed description:
All plots are cited with the sources I used; the yellow line is only an estimate of the camp’s borders.
Many thanks to Fuckkimjong-un for helping me! I may do more of these.
Eight years ago today on January 2, 2005, Shin Dong-hyuk climbed through the electrified fence (which had moments before killed his only friend) of Camp 14, a North Korean concentration camp where he had been held as prisoner (since birth) for 23 years, and began his long journey to freedom.
Despite having all the odds stacked against him, Mr. Shin was nevertheless able to make it out of North Korea and into China. After finally making his way to Shanghai he met a journalist who realized the importance of his story, and helped him sneak past Chinese guards into a South Korean consulate.
After more than two decades of living (in his own words), “as an animal,” he was finally able to start his transition to life “as a human,” which he states is an ongoing process.
Upon attaining asylum with South Korea, he also became the only known person born into a North Korean prison camp to have escaped and survived to tell the tale.
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Two months ago I had the honor of meeting Mr. Shin in person at a speaking engagement, and from now on one of my goals in life is to share his story, as well as the issue of North Korean human rights, with as many people as possible.
Please take the time to look further into his story by checking out his Facebook page, and picking up his book, Escape from Camp 14.
There is also a master list of resources compiled by Tumblr user gedenkenbrauchtwissen relating to Mr. Shin, North Korea, human rights, and much much more. She has also painstakingly compiled and sourced an interactive map of Camp 14 via Google Earth.
More information regarding the many other camps, along with satellite photography and detailed analysis can be found at FreeKorea.us.
Most recently there was a 60 Minutes segment by Anderson Cooper regarding Camp 14 and the life of Mr. Shin.
i just watched the 60 minute bit on Shin Dong-hyuk and i wish it had lasted the entire 60 minutes.
Shin Dong-hyuk is the only man to have been born into a North Korean prison camp, escape, and share his story with the world after escaping a life of slave labor at the age of 23.
Last month I had the honor of meeting Mr. Shin in person at a speaking engagement, and from now on one of my goals in life is to share his story, and the issue of North Korean human rights, with as many people as possible.
Please take the time to look further into his story by checking out his Facebook page, and picking up his book, Escape from Camp 14.
There is also a master list of resources compiled by Tumblr user gedenkenbrauchtwissen relating to Mr. Shin, North Korea, human rights, and much much more.
If you haven’t already seen his 60 Minutes segment, it should be available on Youtube shortly.
Please take some time to look into this issue and spread awareness.
Who are trying to take over our beautiful fatherland.
With guns that I make with my own hands
I will shoot them. BANG, BANG, BANG. —
From Nothing to Envy by Barbara Demick
A song taught in music class to first graders in North Korea.
I would like just to save a dying man. —
Shin Dong-hyuk
The only known person born inside a North Korean prison camp to have escaped (and survive).
Estimated locations of two concentration camps in North Korea. The top image is Camp 22, which is believed to be the largest and the worst. The bottom image is Camp 25 or Chongjin.
Kim Jong-Un speaking publicly for the first time during a speech in Pyongyang, North Korea on the 100th birthday of the nation’s founder, and his grandfather, Kim Il-sung.
The speech comes days after a failed rocket launch, at the cost of an estimated 850 million dollars - enough to feed 19 million of the country’s citizens for an entire year, according to Yonhap.
