The Washington Post recently ran this amazing, crazy story about Shin Dong-hyuk, who was born in a North Korean prison camp, escaped to the South, and lived to tell about his experiences: Escapee Tells of Horrors in North Korean Prison Camp. It's a fascinating, awful story.
According to to the government's count, there are currently 14,431 North Korean defectors living in South Korea. Shin is the only one known to have escaped to the South from a prison camp in the North. As you can imagine, the conditions he describes in the camps are nothing short of horrifying.
Now, Shin is struggling to adjust to a "normal" existence in South Korea, while telling anyone and everyone who will listen about his experiences in North Korea. Despite the North Korean government's effort to cover the truth, we know things are bad there... this is one guy who has lived through the worst of it.
UPDATE: Here's a Google TechTalk video recorded earlier this year with Adrian Hong, Executive Director of Liberty in North Korea (LiNK), and Dong Hyuk Shin, talking about his experiences growing up at Political Prison Camp No. 14: BORN AND RAISED IN A CONCENTRATION CAMP.
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