I. Introduction 1. The need for and objectives of the research The political prisoners’ camps (PPC) in North Korea represent a core issue of human rights violations in North Korea. PPC represent the most serious violations of human rights, perhaps unparalleled in world history, in terms of the number of victims, the nature of processes leading to detention, length in time of the camps’ existence, charges against the detainees and horrendous living conditions. Nevertheless, no systematic and objective survey and study of PPC has been made available to date. This has been largely due to a policy of strict information control by North Korean authorities, thereby preventing not only foreign researchers but ordinary people in North Korea, as well, from even approaching the camps. Furthermore, North Korea has maintained PPC in remote areas, hidden from the gaze of the outside world. The rigid control and operation of PPC have not only prevented escape by victims in the camps, but also effectively blocked information from reaching the outside world. To date, the information about PPC has been limited to the testimonies of a small number of witnesses of former prisoners and those who worked there. Conclusions drawn from the testimonies of this small number of witnesses suggest that the level and extent of human rights violations in PPC have been gravely serious. North Korea’s most serious human rights violations occur with the greatest frequency in the detention facilities. Such facilities fall under various bureaucracies: the police, the State Security Agency (SSA), labor training camps, prisons for minor offenses, ordinary prisons and PPC. It is believed that the violations of human rights are particularly severe in PPC, given the fact that they are operated in secrecy. 9