Prison Camps · South Pyongan Province · Kyohwaso
Kyohwaso No. 1, Kaechon (1호 개천 교화소)
Prison (kyohwaso)
Operating~4,000 estimated prisonersOperated by: Ministry of Social Security
Kyohwaso No. 1 in Kaechon holds roughly 4,000 prisoners and was documented in detail by survivor Soon Ok Lee (author of Eyes of the Tailless Animals). Prisoners work in textile and leather shoe manufacturing under rigorous production quotas.
System Context & Human Rights Documentation
Correctional re-education facilities (kyohwaso) like Kyohwaso No. 1, Kaechon house individuals sentenced through the formal criminal system for offenses including illegal economic activity, cross-border smuggling, viewing foreign media, or attempting to escape into China. While sentences are nominally for a set number of years, severe malnutrition, physical beatings, and grueling manual labor result in high prisoner mortality rates.