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Prison camps · South Pyongan Province

Prison · kyohwaso

Kyohwaso No. 1, Kaechon

1호 개천 교화소

Kyohwaso No. 1 in Kaechon holds roughly 4,000 prisoners and was documented in detail by survivor Soon Ok Lee (author of Eyes of the Tailless Animals). Prisoners work in textile and leather shoe manufacturing under rigorous production quotas.

~4,000prisonersHRNK estimate
ActiveOperating
Social Securityrun by
JagangKangwonNampoNorth HamgyongNorth HwanghaeNorth PyonganPyongyangRyanggangSouth HamgyongSouth HwanghaeSouth PyonganKaechon CityCamp 14, KaechonCamp 25, ChongjinCamp 15, YodokCamp 16, HwasongCamp 22, HoeryongCamp 18, PukchangKyo-hwa-so No. 8, YongdamKyo-hwa-so No. 11, Chung-sanKyo-hwa-so No. 7, KanggyeKyo-hwa-so No. 2, DongrimKyo-hwa-so No. 88, WonsanKyo-hwa-so No. 9, HamhungSunchon Kyo-hwa-soKyo-hwa-so No. 8, Sungho-riFacility at I-golFacility at UdanCh’oma-bong Restricted AreaKyo-hwa-so No. 3, SinuijuKyo-hwa-so No. 4, KangdongKyohwaso No. 12, ChongoriKyo-hwa-so No. 6, SariwonKyo-hwa-so No. 22, OroKyo-hwa-so No. 77, Danchon
Kaechon City · South Pyongan
Kyohwaso No. 1, Kaechon · 39.7084°N, 125.9231°EGoogle Maps ↗ · Imagery © Esri, Maxar, Earthstar Geographics

Open on the intel map Kaechon City county How the camp system works

Why people end up here

Kyohwaso hold people sentenced through the regular courts. Sentences are set in years, but hunger, beatings and heavy labor kill many before release. Common charges:

  • Illegal trading
  • Smuggling across the border
  • Watching foreign media
  • Trying to escape to China

Sources

Other facilities in South Pyongan Province