criteria for political prisoners and non-political prisoners. For example, PPC No. 18 in Pukchang is, in fact, operated by the North Korean police, not by the SSA, and is considerably distinct from those PPC under the control of the SSA. However, similarities in the investigative process, punishment and classification of offenses strongly suggest Pukchang should be included as a PPC. Attention is required for further clarification and definition of PPC. It should be noted that PPC is a term used in Korea. North Koreans refer to such a facility in several ways: a ‘control center,’ a ‘maximum-security camp’ (total control zone) or an ‘off-limits zone.’ Within the PPC, the camp is officially referred to in military parlance as “000 Unit.” This survey commonly uses the general term ”PPC,” but also uses the term ‘control center’ or Kwalisoh in connection with testimonies by North Korean defectors. PPC’s can be generally categorized into two types. The first is the ‘maximum-security camp’ or ‘total control zone,’ in which prisoners are detained for life. The second category, the ‘high-security camp,’ or ‘revolutionary zone,’ consists of detention areas from which prisoners are released after having served a set prison term. All five PPCs under the operation of the SSA today are maximum-security camps with the exception of one section of Yodok PPC, which is operated as a high-security camp. In the absence of official and clear guidelines as to distinctions between maximum or high-security camps, an analysis of the mode of arrest and the charges brought against the prisoners reveals that the high-security camp can be said to be reserved for offenders of a less serious nature. In other words, it appears that the maximum-security camp is reserved for those prisoners who are alienated from mainstream society for life, while the highsecurity camp is populated by prisoners who are released after having served a set prison term. In both cases, however, the prisoners are not tried in a court 36