Two American journalists who were sentenced in North Korea to 12 years of hard labor will probably be sent to the Pyongsong Special Camp near the capital.
North Korean sources say ordinary convicts are sent to labor camps, unlike political prisoners who are sent to concentration camps. There inmates are forced to do backbreaking labor such as felling trees, moving rocks from riverbeds, and working in mine pits. Observers speculate that if Euna Lee and Laura Ling are sent there, the international outcry will be so severe that it would be more trouble for North Korea than it is worth, even if it is using the two as a bargaining chip in dealings with the U.S.
Instead, they will probably be sent to a special camp originally built to accommodate ranking members of the Workers Party and other figures thought to merit special treatment. Special camps are better furnished than general camps, and inmates reportedly do relatively light work.
There are apparently two special camps, one in Pyongsong, South Pyongan Province and one in Wonsan, Kangwon Province. A source speculated that Pyongsong is the likelier option because it is easier for visitors to meet them not far from Pyongyang, while it is also more difficult for outsiders to get a glimpse of the North Korean reality from there.
| You wonder how well our special forces have mapped this area ... |
| I wonder how well interested civilians like Old Patriot have mapped this area. |
|