North Korean authorities have continued to establish new camps,
relocate others, close or expand PPC over the years in order to avoid
detection from outside world or based on a change of operational purpose.
Even though detailed information is not available about the procedures and
reasons for these processes, the present survey confirms that there are six
PPCs in North Korea today. In the absence of a drastic decrease in the
number of prisoners at PPC by period, relocation or closure of a PPC must be
correlated with the expansion or establishment of a new PPC. It is regretted
that precise information for tracking the movement of prisoners is extremely
limited to date.
3)
Process and Circumstance of Arrest
The survey that explores the experience of being arrested in North Korea
reveals that the level of harshness during arrest seems to apply to offenders
and their families alike. Offenders are mostly arrested at their work site. Some
are, however, arrested at home or en route to an official trip or at another
‘third location.’ All arrests on record are arbitrary, carried out by members of
the SSA or agents of related organizations, without an arrest warrant or an
explanation as to why he or she is arrested.
Most family members of offenders are arrested at home with few
exceptions; a few are arrested at the work site or on school grounds. The
arrest is carried out without arrest warrant or any explanation, as in the case
of the offender. The victim is often told to come to the office to answer some
questions or simply told that the victim will be arrested because a member of
the family is already under arrest. In case of the arrest of family members,
related government agents typically rush into the home of victims at daybreak
and arrest the entire family with maximum surprise.
58