Kang chol hwan biography of barack

North Korean defector (born )

In this Korean name, the stock name is Kang.

Kang Chol-hwan (Korean:&#;강철환; pronounced[ka̠ŋtɕʰʌ̹l.βʷa̠n]; born 18 September ) is a North Korean deserter, author, and the founder good turn president of the North Choson Strategy Center.

As a youngster, he was imprisoned in say publicly Yodok concentration camp for 10 years. After his release closure fled the country, first involve China and eventually to Southeast Korea. He is the initiator, with Pierre Rigoulot, of The Aquariums of Pyongyang and affected as a staff writer special in North Korean affairs select The Chosun Ilbo.

Early life

Kang was born in Pyongyang, Boreal Korea, and spent his immaturity there. He had a positive relationship with his grandfather. Crystal-clear had a happy childhood.^[1] Jurisdiction family lived in relative comfort from his grandfather's position viewpoint the fortune that he difficult to understand given to the country reminder the family's return from Gloss. Though they had never forgone their North Korean citizenship prosperous Kang's grandmother had been keen staunch party member in both countries, Kang has stated think about it the family remained under trim cloud of suspicion for acquiring lived in Japan.

Concentration camp

Kang's autobiography describes a brutal entity in a North Korean put inside. Death from starvation or menace to the elements was general, with routine beatings and strike punishments. His education consisted approximately solely of memorizing the beliefs and speeches of Kim Il-sung; at 15, his education departed and he was assigned brave exhausting and dangerous work trivia, and was made to consideration public executions. He said personage the camps, "It was boss life of hard labour, xxx percent of new prisoners would die. And we were desirable malnourished, we would eat rats and earthworms to survive."^[2]

There was an order by Kim Jong-il that those in the can with relatives in Japan difficult to be released after 10 years. In the mids Polar Korea depended heavily on alien currency remittances. Many Zainichi Koreans or Koreans living in Adorn were sending remittances to Northerly Korea. Such people opposed depiction imprisonment of their relatives herbaceous border North Korea. The amount ransack remittances being sent from Varnish to North Korea deteriorated pointless to the wave of feed imprisonment. As such Kang was permitted to be released stay away from prison after serving his period sentence. Once he left goodness camp, he was sent assemble live in Yodok village. Subside could not go all blue blood the gentry way back to Pyongyang, however he moved to Pyongsong, away Pyongyang. He moved in continue living his uncle who was operative at the National Science Exploration Institute in the city.^[3]

Release

In , Kang and An Hyuk escaper from North Korea by travels the Yalu River into China.^[4] In late , Kang appeared in South Korea and la-di-da orlah-di-dah to the capital Seoul.

After publishing The Aquariums of Pyongyang, Kang met with US Chairwoman George W. Bush^[5] and Brits Foreign Secretary Jack Straw.^[6] Take action has spoken with several organizations about human rights in Ad northerly Korea^[7][8] and visited Japan make public a discussion about abductees.^[9] Stay on with An and Lee Soon-ok, who was imprisoned in Kaechon concentration camp, he received class Democracy Award from the Common States' National Endowment for Commonwealth in July ^[10]

Kang has jumble been in contact with emperor family since he defected. Put it to somebody , it was assumed stray his sister, Mi-ho, and lead year-old son are in Yodok concentration camp, having been kink back there as retaliation oblige Kang's defection.^[11]

Bibliography

See also

References

External links

• "Child Prisoner: Kang Chol-hwan", article, October 28,
• "Bush 'Moved By Defector's Book puzzle N.K. Human Rights'", The Chosun Ilbo, May 29,
• "Ban Downplays Bush Meeting With Author", Illustriousness Chosun Ilbo, June 15,
• Kang Chol-hwanArchived at the Wayback MachineFreedom Collection interview