children from Pyongyang, Shinuiju, Hamhung and Hwanghae Province. Later, many prisoners under the category of revisionist also arrived. Many children of revisionists were studying overseas at that time but they were also all brought here. During the period of purge in 1985-6, many anti-party revisionists arrived at this PPC from Pyongyang.” (A03 from PPC No. 13) “My family was detained at a PPC because my grandfather defected to South Korea without the knowledge of my grandmother. We did not do anything except being related to that grandfather who had defected to South Korea. Many prisoners were taken here for things that happened 20 or 30 years ago. At the time of the Shimhwajo case, many people were brought to the Control Center including high ranking government officials. When they arrived, there were a lot of people and furniture in their car.” (A09, former prisoner, from PPC No. 18, 1975~2000) As in the examples above, survey results reveal that most prisoners in PPC are those who: made imprudent remarks concerning Kim Il-sung and his son (political statements), those who are victims of power struggles and purges, those accused of being South Korea supporters, landlords, capitalists and their families through guilt by association. 5) The Process of Investigation, Trial and Mode of Transport before Detention (1) The Process of Preliminary Investigation. North Korean law provides a step-by-step process pertaining to preliminary procedures in the course of a criminal investigation. All details and criteria for the preliminary investigation, such as the method, period of detention and responsible government organizations, are clearly specified in the Criminal Code and Criminal Action Law of North Korea. North Korea law specifies that the period of preliminary investigation should be (but not exceed) six months and such an investigation is to be conducted by the investigative department of the government. This survey conducted through in-depth interviews reveals that all suspects arrested in connection with crimes were made subject to preliminary investigation and the period of investigation was mostly between two and five months in duration, less than the prescribed six months, with the exception of Witness A10, who was investigated for 18 months. The period of preliminary investigation is prescribed by the law but it appears that in some cases the provision is not always respected. 64