Prison camps · South Pyongan Province
Camp 18, Pukchang
18호 북창 관리소
Camp 18 is located in Pukchang County, directly across the Taedong River from Camp 14. Historically operated by the regular police (Ministry of Social Security) rather than secret police, it forced tens of thousands of prisoners into dangerous coal extraction for the Pukchang thermal power plant. Former prisoner Kim Yong provided comprehensive testimony after escaping.
Open on the intel map Pukchang county How the camp system works
Satellite watch
Captured 11 Oct 2026Our own images of this 7.7 km square from the European Copernicus Sentinel-2 satellites: the newest clear picture, and the clearest one from each of the last 24 months. One pixel is 10 m, enough to see roads, fields, ponds and large buildings, not people.
Pick a month to compare with the latest image
We pick each image by measuring cloud inside this square from the satellite’s own scene classification. Months with no clear image are left out. We do not mark or interpret anything in the pictures. The ring marks the point on our map.
Contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data 2024-2026 · Copernicus Data Space · Sentinel-2 L2A COGs (AWS)
Crimes against humanity
Whole families are sent to kwanliso without trial under guilt by association (yeonjwa-je). The 2014 UN Commission of Inquiry found these crimes in the political prison camps:
- Extermination
- Murder
- Enslavement
- Torture
- Imprisonment
- Rape
- Forced abortion
- Persecution
- Enforced disappearance
