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There have been several reports of human experimentation in North Korea. If true, these reports show human rights abuses similar to those of Nazi and Japanese human experimentation in World War II.
All of these allegations of human rights abuses are denied by the North Korean government, who claim that all prisoners in North Korea are humanely treated.
The "Christian Solidarity Worldwide" website mentions allegations of chemical experiments done to political prisoners. There is an aparent eyewitnesses report about seven people who died a slow agonized death in two gas chambers. According to the report one of the seven, a mother held her youngest child closely despite the horrific ordeal.
A BBC television programme in 2004 with the title, "Access to Evil" in the "This World" series gave reports about yet more horrors.
In the programme, a former North Korean woman prisoner tells how 50 healthy women prisoners were selected. They were given soaked cabbage leaves to eat. Those who had already eaten were saying things like, "Oh my tummy, Help me, Help me!" According to the interviewee, all the women had to eat, as refusing to obey would have meant terrible sanctions for them and their families. All 50 vomited blood and lost blood through their anuses. They screamed in pain, and after 20 minutes all were dead.
Kwon Hyok, a former prison Head of Security at camp 22, described laboratories there. The laboratories have a glass chamber with 3 parts, one for poison gas experiments, one for suffocation gas experiments, one for blood experiments. Kwon Hyok says 3 or 4 people normally a family are the subjects of experiments. They are stripped naked and checked to see if they are healthy. The chambers are sealed. Scientists sit above the glass chambers and observe from there. Poisons are put in through an injection tube. Normally families huddle together. Individual prisoners stay separate in corners.
Kwon Hyok watched one family die from suffocating gas. They were, 2 parents, a son and a daughter. The parents tried mouth-to-mouth resuscitation on the children as long as they had the strength. They were dying and vomiting but kept trying to save their children. This is reminiscent of the earlier account of a family of seven and suggests both are true.
The broadcast gave an interview with Kim Sang Hun, described as a distinguished human rights activist. Kim Sang Hun showed documents that he says were brought from Camp 22 by an escapee and which he is sure are not forgeries. These documents each say that a certain prisoner is to be transferred for experimentation with chemical weapons. A London based expert on Korea also considers it likely that the documents are genuine and Kwon Hyok stated independently that such documents were used at Camp 22.
Finally North Korea refuses access by any outside observers to Camp 22. This in the opinion of the BBC, gives the clear impression that there is something to hide.
It is not certain that these accounts are true. The BBC has been criticized by the Broadcasting Standards Commission because one or other of its documentaries was considered unfair. In the majority of cases BBC reporting is considered true. The report of the recent Hutton Enquiry is an example where BBC reporting was officially criticised, although most people in the UK disagree with Lord Hutton's conclusions.
The "Free North Korea" net suggests those defectors high up in the North Korean regime know their regime is doomed and are changing sides in an attempt to escape justice.
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