By Jamie Crawford
North Korea may be expanding one of its notorious prison camps to incorporate control of civilians in adjacent villages.
Amnesty International says new satellite imagery of the area surrounding a prison known as Camp 14 shows signs of a security perimeter and guard towers around mining operations that are not typically seen in other villages.
"What's most worrisome about this development is that it seems to expand the scope of control beyond the formal boundaries of the prison camp," said Frank Jannuzi, deputy executive director of Amnesty International USA, in a briefing with reporters.
"You are seeing evidence of new levels of intrusion and control and security around civilian populations in a country already characterized by severe restrictions on basic freedom of movement and communication."
The images, taken between 2006 and February of this year, show up to 20 probable guard towers and controlled points of entry to areas not immediately bordering the prison camp but in close proximity to areas undergoing an expansion in mining activities.
There was also a significant addition of buildings in the area that Amnesty International said might be used to house citizens brought into the area to serve as forced labor in the mines.
As many as 1,500 people may have been brought into the area to live in the new units, the group said.
North Korea watchers who have traveled to the secretive nation in the past say the level of government control varies from village to village.
But new guard towers and security gates surrounding villages near Camp 14 may indicate that no one gets in or out of the region without official permission, Amnesty International says.
With most of the world's focus centered on the bellicose rhetoric from the regime of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, Amnesty International says it hopes the photos will spur the United Nations Human Rights Council to establish a commission of inquiry that could get on the ground and investigate current conditions.
And with additional sanctions from the U.N. Security Council this week directed at the North's recent ballistic missile and nuclear tests, Jannuzi said there should be additional focus on other likely drivers of change within North Korea.
"If there is to be change on the Korean peninsula, it's going to come through a change in the human condition, the mindset of the North Korean people in government, their exposure to the outside world and the world's attention to their suffering," he said.
© 2012 Cable News Network. Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
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hey CNN, give credit to the people who discovered this please.
Heres the link to that persons Site.
http://www.nkeconwatch.com/category/uncategorized/
This post is great. I realy like it!
well Kim is not a push over nether is veitnam charie.,.pnm,.
Communism is garbage-
Captialism is so much better??
NK has no oil! Bush & Cheney dreamed of taking Iraq's oil, but never got a drop of it! Cheney even said that the Iraq war would be "revenue neutral", meaning Iraq oil would pay all expenses! What clowns!!!
Also, Iraq was supposed to have WMDs, none were ever found! But Iraq did not have any nukes making them an easy target! Yes, Bush Jr. screwed up big time!
Now "little Fat Boy" threatens us! Come on, if he dare launch a rocket toward the US his wonderful country would be reduced to ashes! He knows this, so why pay him any attention?
Sees article about North Korean Prison camp...
Takes that opportunity to talk about Iraq, oil, Bush, and Cheney.
Brilliant!
stop smoking so much pot.it is 2013.hard to stay on topic when you are stoned all the time
Saddam offered us 10$ barrels of oil not to intervene in Kuwait. Your point is invalid
Bring it on Num Chuck Kim.. Make our day...
Time to poop.
That area should be inspected by the UN. But I think we should be a little careful about calling it a "prison camp" until we do inspect it.
Just because the image is not posed here. The UN knows it is a prison camp. They have satellites that can more than likely see better than most of the guards. You may also want to take note because if the Tea Party ever really gets a majority we could see things like this in America. I am 100% certain punishment for something like being gay would result in life in prison. Cant pay your medical bills, then you die in prison, or on the street. Smoke pot and do anything remotely against the Tea Party dictator of the weeks religious beliefs and you are locked up for life.Since the Tea Party has zero tolerance for the sick and the elderly why for one second does ANY one think they would care even a little bit about a criminal. But I know one thing for certain, they will learn how to make money from it that will Never be used to pay the debt but instead will be funneled right into their own bank accounts, they have learned that from the GOP.
Wow, just wow.
That is a lot to attribute to people who simply want to keep the government size in check (goal of 15% of GDP).
You might want to see somebody about that.
You think it might be a Country Club?
Why didn't Dumbya go after this "Axis of Evil" country instead of wasting his time on Iraq?
Cause they have/had nukes , and we don't kick anyone that can kick back.
Because while NK and it's massive standing army could be defeated by the overwhelming firepower and superior strategic planning of the US and it's key allies, it is a certainty that Seoul would be destroyed in the process.
Because NK has no oil! Bush & Cheney dreamed of taking Iraq's oil, but never got a drop of it! Cheney even said that the Iraq war would be "revenue neutral", meaning Iraq oil would pay all expenses! What clowns!!!
Also, Iraq was supossed to have WMDs, none were ever found! But Iraq did not have any nukes making them an easy target! Yes, Bush Jr. screwed up big time!
Where's Jello Biafra when you need him? "Pyongyang Über Alles!" Indeed...
'Cuz it's a....
Holiday in Cambodia...
It's not a prison! It's "Dennis Rodman re-education sport camp"!
It's long past time to blow the hell out of these people. Like China would really intervene to save this pathetic disgrace of a country. Kim Jong-Un hasn't even been in power for two years and he's already gearing up to be even worse than his father. This regime should've been brought down long ago.
We shoud have blasted your fat butt off the face to the planet a decade ago Sarah.
So what? Who cares?
I think if I were in this country I would setup a mass revolt to try to over throw Kim Jun Un
You'd disappear during the night.
"Bellicose" is obviously a password in a secret media society. Not saying it's wrong. Just saying.
Only on CNN will you find idiots supporting NK and bashing the USA....CNN you need to close your comment sections like others have.
I hear you. But perhaps it serves a function? So that we are aware of what ignorance we are up against as a society? I think anonymity should be removed. That is a large part of the problem. I suspect many comments are just teenagers horsing around trying to get a rise out of people.
Rick! Calm down, calm down. Extremism is all the rage.
Agreed...the CNN comments section is nothing but a "hate-fest"! The moderators are fools!!!
Richard Stroker...free speech Champion!
If I were in that area of interest, I would plan my escape route on the north-western most part of said area of interest. There is no guard towers for many miles.
The level of resolution for this image leads one to believe this is just propaganda to rile up the masses. The USA's top spy satellites can see license plates on cars yet we can't see exactly what is going on over this very large geographic area, do you people really believe all you are told or do you sometimes think critically? The North Korean government is obviously corrupt but think, why are you being told this now? Qui bono?
The level of resolution? Lol!
Reblogged this on World Chaos.
send Dennis Rodman to spend a day at one of the prison camps of his 'friend' Un
I think the time for talk is over.
Good to know less people in military
Hey, a lot of people didn't shed a tear for the funeral. They had to make room.
Maybe Amnesty could give a exact location so we can all look for ourselves with google maps? Instead of taking the word of a biased party to western interventionism?
You can see a lot of these on google maps. Go look it up for yourself
How about some basic geographic coordinates, you know things like north south east west?
or you could google "camp 14" and figure it out- according to freekorea (dot us), "In central North Korea, along the Taedong River far upstream from Pyongyang, lie two of North Korea’s five largest concentration camps: Camp 14 and Camp 18"
Thank you.
You think the Google car with all the cameras just cruises around North Korea? Use your head.
Again!!! Leave other countries ALONE!!! Focus on the issues inside of the United States! The United Nations always want to put it's nose in other people's business! Each county has it's own independence therefore it's "FREE" from outside relations! Specially North Korea with all this sanctions I don't think it will want to fallow orders from The United Nations!
We have our own issues yes, but was the extermination of millions of innocent Jews our issue in Germany? What is happening in DPK is a massive human right violation. These camps are modern day concentration camps that include woman and children with no chance for freedom. As more and more countries begin to follow suit to what the United States has been saying all along – the stronger the noose on North Korea. It is a catch 22, do nothing and people will continue to suffer. Achieve joint sanctions that include support from Russia and China, the more apt they will be to war.
Hitler was left alone, Pol Pot was left alone, Milošević was left alone, people ingnored Darfur...and many others. How would YOU like to have been brought up in those areas in the wrong time?
The international community does become a police force at times, but it needs to happen sooner. We cannot keep hiding like ostriiches. One country cannot do it alone...and should not. Because that is one country declaring war against another, and who is to say whether it is just or not. But international cooperation signals something much greater.
You fracker are just as bad as the butchers throughout history.
How can you change the mindset of people that have been brainwashed and don't know any better.
Are we talking Americans, or North Koreans?
Does it matter? We are all sheeps
Apply sanctions and make the head of the snake begin to fear.
From the air, you can clearly see the same thing happening in Ohio.
Where?
Do not be naive and think Big Kim is the head of that "country". It is the elite military command that runs the show. They wouldn't let that yellow basketball decide anything of importance internationally. He is the puppet of many yellow, slanty-eyed puppeteers.
How do you really feel?
I was with you until you moved into racist rhetoric.
True
I can hear it now, after the fact. "We did not find any camps, but they were evil and this needed to happen anyway."
This is communism for all fascist people. North Korea runs a good game of dictatorship. En Garde.
We know you're a Bobber so it must mean you're a Kneeler too............
Looks like they figured out where the uranium is coming from for the nukes they're building. I'm sure the folks working there are all 'voulenteers'.
Let them eat each other from the inside. Then Porky the Pig will end up in a ditch like Saddam.....
Exactly why dont we air drop a bunch of AK-47 and M16's right in the middle of those camps.and eat some popcorn.
that is a dam good idea
Except you'd only be killing off all the innocent villagers who are being held against their will for no wrongdoing, and the problem you were trying to exist in the first place would remain unchanged
The placement of a fence and a few guard towers will not change these people's lives I'm sure.
This will sound insensitive, but why do they even need fences and guard towers. Who is gonna come try and break in? Who is going to have the energy/strength to leave? Is it just to make those inside feel utterly hopeless?
Here we go with the excuse....
had the same exact thought
Why do they even bother drumming up the public's support??
My thoughts exactly. These type of stories on cnn.com is just getting us ready for an invasion later on.
Exactly. Americans naively believe that their major news outlets are not influenced politically and it is truly 'free press'. You can see the drum beating mounting day by day through news outlets in oder to garner American citizens' support for impending military action against NK. C'mon guys, just send Ambassador Rodman for a couple more visits and lasting peace will be the outcome - basketball diplomacy always works.
In a better world, my son. Welcome to the Chicolate Factory...
D list celebrities like this article.
Why build guard towers when you can fly drones from above to watch over the population? Those North Koreans still have so much to learn from us.
the guard towers are there to keep villagers imprisoned and enslaved you idiot
You should move out if you don't like Obama instead of spouting out ridiculous media influenced absurdities.
deport Obama to wherever he came from...his radical, socialist, self-centered ideology belongs somewhere else. He's ruining America and destroying America with debt.
This is a disgusting regime.
Unfortunately, they are likely to be around for a while more. While Jong Un may seem to be close to launching an attack you can be sure that his generals know BETTER. The South Korean army would neutralize North Korea in about 24 hours, and it is doubtful that any of the 10 DPRK nuclear weapons could be brought out of storage and effectively used against ROK forces.
The long and short is that we are just going to hear more bluster from a "spoiled brat" regime, with little to back it up. Unfortunately, 23 million people in the DPRK suffer as a result. Thank you China....
Hey ally, It is the elite military command that controls Kim, not the other way around. They don't let him control the military. He is a puppet with many slanty eyed, yellow puppeteers.......
"You are seeing evidence of new levels of intrusion and control and security around civilian populations in a country already characterized by severe restrictions on basic freedom of movement and communication."
Wow, so, it's no different than it will be here in a few years... so, what's the writers point?... to get us use to it?.
Right. Because we have SO many government owned and control industries that used forced labor, who live in fenced-in compounds. Congratulations. You're a fool
Actually, we do. Prison Industry Complex.
Read and learn. Provoke your mind.
No Alicia, dubya Bush and President Cheney have left power.
moron.
Google maps are pictures taken from the ground by cars driving around not satellite images lol.
Google maps was before Street View. Street View is images captured bar cars mounted with cameras and GPS.
Your hillbilly truck must be super-tall. I mean, taking all those pictures of the tops of mountains and skyscrapers.
2FLY, You can't be THAT stupid, can you? Or are you too dumb to answer that? (these are rhetorical questions by the way; in case you don't know that.)
The UN and NATO needs to go in and clean house in North Korea, eliminating its insane dictator and his henchmen much like Sadam and his murderous regime were eliminated. Otherwise the entire nation will turn into a slave labor camp of unspeakable human misery, murder and mayhem.
Thanks, I needed a chuckle. UN has no power, NATO is basically the USA and "supporting allies" (no one)
the USA is the one that will take action, we may convince china to do a land invasion and give them the land just to get this fat-idiot out of our way in north korea
The Chinese have to decide if they are willing to foot the food bill for North Korea anymore. It seems that they are getting increasingly unhappy about doing so. Once they decide that this situation is untenable, only then and with their assistance can the North Korea Work Camp be dismantled. Problem is that will North Korea join with China or with South Korea. I'm sure the people would opt for reunification with the capitalist south. But would China agree to this? I'm not so sure. So the poor North Koreans live in a hellish limbo.
Somehow I don't see the South Koreans buying into that idea.
Who cares what happens over there as long as it doesn't affect us. (nuclear issues aside)
Excellent read
Its no one business what they do
We'll all remember that when you need help someday. It's none of our business if you're drowning, or your neighbor is raping you and taking your stuff.
So move there. You obviously take your freedoms for granted and therefore don't deserve them.
To the glorious North Korean Leader:
We the people of the United States of America are properly terrified of your might.
We surrender unconditionally.
Please come to Disneyland where our representative will hand over the keys to your new knigdom.
You know, I think those idiots really think they have a chance in a fight with us.
I doubt it. That regime has the intellect of a kindergartner. You remember having the argument when in preschool, "My daddy's stronger than your dad, My dad can lift the whole world with one arm"
Thats basically what it boils down to.
For those that don't speak interp –the prison is larger which could mean a purge or greater open disent. Some of you might want to look those things up –BoB
It's more likely this story will be used as part of a campaign to soften up the American public for yet another war.
US intle is that good with what you can see and related it to. What people say is out of the cameras capabiltiy and the interpert as an excuse for war is human– lies are much harder to detect.
Propaganda. North Korea is so evil right? Too bad the United States is #1 in the entire world when it comes to incarceration rates. We lock up people for years for marijuana, NK doesn't. We let politicians and bankers fleece and control us while NK puts those kind of people in prison.
The real Axis of Evil = USA, Israel, UK.
So move there your I.d.i.o.t.
You are the dumbest person on earth.
No they don't lock them up for drugs you i.d.i.o.t. They execute them.
NK executes more people than anyone knows. They don't allow their people to freely come and go. They can't use the internet or communicate any other way with the outside world. If you think ANYONE believes the lies you are spouting, you're even dumber than we think you are already. If the average citizen (hostage?) of NK had any idea what the outside world is really like, they'd all rise up and kill every single member of their government.
@ "Usama". Have you ever heard of the "three generations" punishment that the DPRK (aka North Korea) boast about? That's right, they're imprison three generations of a family for the crimes of the father/mother. And you're complaining about the US justice system? You should probably return to that hole of a country where your muslim ancestors came from...you know, some of the places that still execute people for "witchcraft". How very enlightened.
LOL... CMON MAN!!!
Nice comparison basis, I hear they treat meth smugglers well (with a bullet).
I wonder if these camps have basketball courts. Maybe rodman knows
Possible underground base? Hidden while everybody looks at the mine and the prison. Sattelites should look for incoming shipments disgiused as prison deliveries (scan to confirm they are normal prison activity).
"Deploying diplomats today is much cheaper than deploying troops tomorrow"
-J Kerry on foreign aid
Good call on that. Probably save the lives of many American and South Korean soldiers (and Korean civilians). Rehooligans want a tough stance? That's because their Master earns when American children die in battle.
It's amazing to me that the Liberals posting here aren't at all upset that a totalitarian regime is putting it's citizens into forced labor camps while threatening us with nuclear attack. Yeah, let's send some more ex-NBA players, maybe John Kerry, over to shoot a few hoops with them. That'll settle things down.
Of course, I didn't read too many posts from Liberals expressing concern when AT Holder stated that the President could use drones against U.S. citizens on U.S. soil without due process. I wonder what their thoughts will be when a Republican gets into the White House....
That "rehooligans" comment was totally out of line and invalid. The rest, plausible. Maybe not the name.
Obama to the rescue – another 6,000 Americans dead.
Left Hook bob–are you on dope. Your post is 7 years off and one President. Your a perfect case against home schooling or legalized drugs.
LOL...I was however looking forward to legalized pot!
You meant to type BUSH, not Obama.
Hey, that looks like Kalifornia!
Jesus said "What you do unto the least of my brethren, you do unto me"?
So they expanded a prison. What does that mean? We build and expand prisons all the time. This article lacks analysis.
and you lack reading comprehension
They did do an analysis. For an example see paragraph 6.
Its not the fact that they are expanding a camp, its the fact that there are Innocent civilians being forced to work like slaves in bad conditions. This article is just pointing out how N. Korea does not care about its people and something should be to help them
I know they are our enemy but please be more sophisticated with the propaganda.
This is probably just the start of a massive wave of propaganda.
I'm sure your right. Hopefully, the majority of us won't take the bait and they'll find another way to work this out.
Yeah, the US is so sophisticated with propaganda, that we snuck into their country, set off a few nukes, launched a missile then appeared on TV disguised as their leader announcing our success. You're all stooooooopid.
I have a free story about this on the last page of my web site.
dogwarddown dot net/Giving/tabid/153/Default.aspx
Basically North Korea knows that hard work and discipline are the key to survival and prosperity. The junta is going to make others work hard so that they can prosper.
Dictators of any sort drift to this sort of behavior because they become corrupted by power.
The U.S. has places like Guantanamo Bay where we hold U.S. citizens without trial and torture people. So way should I be upset about this?
i forgot people inprisoned didn't deserve their punishment. how does that and north korean villagers have anything in common? use your brain next time wow...
@inHae All I am asking is for a trial, if all these people we are holding are as evil as we say it shouldn't be do difficult to convict them.. Instead the U.S. hides behind the excuse of "National Security" and we bomb children and just right it off as collateral damage.
For the "Good Guys" we are doing some pretty messed up stuff.
And this is why people is North Korea will continue to suffer and be oppressed. Because you want to compare their conditions to Gtmo. You can forget about the North Koreans, you will let them suffer because America has GTMO. Thousands of North Koreans will die this year at the hands of their government, but that is ok with you, you can justify it in your head. You can visit GTMO if you want to take a look around, you can't visit NK.
to anyone who asks, "who gives america the right to intervene with other countries"? every single last country gave us the right if they dont help. we support the innocent and weak, no matter where and why.
@Matty13 Really how can one visit Guantanamo Bay? All I can find is it by invitation only. NK on the other hand it is completely legal for a U.S. citizen to travel to the DPRK and look around.
Maybe because this is on a huge scale and these are it's own citizens and a huge mass of north Koreans are starving to death in huge numbers. Is that a difference to you?
@manhandler1 So are are ready to put a number on human beings? Because what we are doing kills less people then what they are allegedly doing some how makes it any better?
....large numbers of people in the US are starving. Have a look at the amount of poverty in the US.
Google maps has better zoom capability than this picture. I can see my own house and car in my driveway.
That's because it isn't just satellites taking pictures. Try to zoom in on NK and you won't see the clarity you do at your house. Please think before speaking.
Going underground, Sad. Their PR spokeswoman is going to take Washington off of her map. Wonder if that means Washington the state or the other Washington. Could be a Twp or whatever, too. Wonder why she would not want to talk first. People dying isn't a good idea anywhere.
Words cannot describe what those people in the prisons suffer.I am praying that God will liberate them very soon.They desperately need help!.They have already suffered way too long.God please have mercy!!!!
This is the kind of system the Republicans and their billionaire owners would love to create for the American Public and if we keep electing them they will.
You are seriously demented. Seriously.
I fear he is closer to the truth. Our Republican legislature has increased the number of private prisons that answer to almost no one. Increased the sentencing without giving the judges any leeway. Some of our Republican legislators would like to run a tighter prison system closer to those in China or North Korea. As it is if you want visit a relative you have to pay a fee. And they are not required to let you know if a person has died for at least 30 days or more, and don't have to let the family know a prisoner is in the hospital with a life threatening illness. If it were not for the lawsuits things would be even worse. Plus we have states that have been jailing children and giving them inferior food, medical care and no education, for things kids used to be sent to the principals office.
Loser.
Are you on crack?
Please move to NK and see the difference between that regime and the conservatives here in America. You are obviously misinformed.
repulicans are not the problem liberals are so move to anothere country. We need much better prison here and need to stop treating criminals nice
"I concur".
In the satellite photo you can see a man walking his dog in the sun. I think he's just warming his food though.
Can some friends and I go hiking there?
If you are asking that question maybe you should. This is not a joking matter. People in that country are gravely suffering.
Who are you, the internet joke police? Get over yourself.
Then they should do something about it. Someone needs to take out the fat little dweeb "for the people". He and his arrogant ways are what's making this country circle the drain
remove yourself pie
Why's it so hard for the satellites to definitively tell if they're actually guard towers? The satellites that freakin' Google gives me access to can practically tell the make and model of the car in my driveway.
Our military satellites can practically read your newspaper. Believe that the intel is good.
Yes – the USA is renowned for it's reliable intel. Why would they lie to us?
We don't NEED intel. We KNOW they've set off nukes, we KNOW they've launched missiles. Many, many people have witnessed these events, either directly or via seismic sensors from around the world. The US certainly doesn't control all these people. Not to mention the little fact that North Korea itself is proudly admitting to all this stuff. So what intel do we need? We KNOW what they're up to, and honestly, we should be doing everything we can to fire up an internal revolution over there. Or better yet, send in an assassination squad and take out all the honchos.
The imagery that Amnesty International has access to is NOT the same imagery that the DoD has.
But North Korea is perfect the leader is such a stand up guy, just as Rodman.
im sure he realizes that a 1 million man army might take a while to bulldozer, but they literally have no air support. basically all that matters, why is he so fixed on fast forwarding a nightmare for himself?
The Taliban has 25,000 soldiers and no air support. How long has the US military been fighting them? Yeah, over a decade now. The US military couldn't even gain control of North during the Korean war and a lot of you think the US military will just stroll in and win.
Of course the Taliban is hard to fight. They don't wear uniforms, the locals are all scared of them or love them, and they aren't man enough to come right out and fight. If NK picks a fight, they'll send out their ground forces in huge groups (easily spotted from the air mind you). We'll send wave after wave of air strikes in, taking out bases, command centers and infrastructure. Honestly, it will be only slightly more difficult than invading Iraq, the main difference being we'll actually have concrete justification this time. NK will more or less be completely crippled before a single American boot sets down on NK soil. They'll attempt a ground war at that point, solely out of the leaders' pride, but they'll then discover the true nature of US modern warfare techniques and equipment. They've barely figured out long-range missiles, so I assure you their armor, etc. is at about the same level.
@taliban are fools – ??? Right.....you'd want to engage 1.2 million soldiers and a hugely patriotic civilian on their home soil? That's madness.
@ Usama, I would love to know who taught you history, cause they failed. During the Korean War, we controlled almost all of North Korea. We controlled all the way up to the Yalu River. The Chinese then entered the war, because they thought that we would continue and invade China. So they intervened with their army and pushed our forces all the way back to the 38th Parallel. That is the only reason we lost that war.