Hwasong concentration camp

Hwasong concentration camp
Chosŏn'gŭl
화성 제16호 관리소
Hancha
Revised RomanizationHwaseong Je16ho Gwalliso
McCune–ReischauerHwasŏng Che16ho Kwalliso
Chosŏn'gŭl
화성 정치범수용소
Hancha
Revised RomanizationHwaseong Jeongchibeom Suyongso
McCune–ReischauerHwasŏng Chŏngch'ibŏm Suyongso

Hwasong concentration camp (Chosŏn'gŭl: 화성 제16호 관리소, also spelled Hwasŏng or Hwaseong) is a labor camp in North Korea for political prisoners. The official name is Kwan-li-so (Penal-labor colony) No. 16. As with other political prison camps located in North Korea, Camp 16 is highly secretive and isolated from the rest of the country. Prisoners, usually interned for life, are subject to harsh forced labor and treatment. The estimated prisoner population size is 20,000.

Located in the mountains of Hwasong County, the camp's activities mostly consist of logging, agriculture, and some industrial production. However, the camp is also notable for its proximity to the Punggye-ri Nuclear Test Site, leading to suspicions over its connections to North Korea's development of nuclear weapons. Camp expansions in recent decades and changes in camp features indicate enhanced security measures and the need to accommodate increased prisoner populations and economic activities.


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