The Horrors of the North Korean Gulags

A stark reminder of the evil that exists in the world.

"Most North Koreans sentenced to prison camp go there not for re-education, but to perish. Defectors report tales of sadistic guards, meager food, disease and brutal forced labor in as many as six camps hidden across the country — North Korea's gulags. "

These prisoners endure beatings, forced abortions, infanticide, rape, torture and public executions — all while doing slave labor whose profits line the pockets of the elite (those imported foods and fineries don't come cheap).

"According to the State Department's 2008 Human Rights Report, “re-education through labor” also involves memorizing the speeches of North Korea's “Dear Leader” Kim Jong-Il. "

"The number of prisoners is unknown; the best guesses put it in the low hundreds of thousands. Some suggest that more than 500,000 people have perished in Pyongyang's Stalinist gulags since they were established in the early 1970s. "

"While life in the camps certainly isn't laughable, some of the “crimes” are. Offenses include getting caught watching a South Korean soap opera or saying something negative about the Dear Leader. "