Bukchang concentration camp

Pukchang concentration camp
Chosŏn'gŭl	북창 제18호 관리소
Hancha
Revised Romanization	Bukchang Je 18 ho Gwalliso
McCune–Reischauer	Pukch'ang Che 18 ho Kwalliso
Chosŏn'gŭl	북창 정치범 수용소
Hancha
Revised Romanization	Bukchang Jeongchibeom Suyongso
McCune–Reischauer	Pukch'ang Chŏngch'ibŏm Suyongso

Pukch'ang concentration camp (Hangeul: 북창 제18호 관리소, also spelled Bukchang) is a labor camp in North Korea for political prisoners. It is sometimes called Tŭkchang concentration camp (Hangeul: 득장 제18호 관리소, also Deukjang or Dukjang). The official name is Kwan-li-so (Penal-labor colony) No. 18.

The camp is in Pukchang County and Tukchang district, P'yŏngan-namdo province in North Korea. It is situated along the middle reaches of Taedong river, which forms the northern boundary of the camp, and also includes the mountains south of the river. On the other side of Taedong river is the Kaechon internment camp (Kwan-li-so No. 14).

According to Hwang Jang-yop, the former leader of the Workers’ Party of Korea, Pukchang camp is the oldest North Korean prison camp and was already erected by 1958. Like in Yodok camp there is one section for political prisoners in lifelong detention and another part similar to reeducation camps. Possibly these sections were completely separated earlier and therefore there are the two names Pukchang and Tukchang. While all the other political prison camps belong to the State Security Department, Pukchang camp is run by the Interior Ministry. In some cases political prisoners were deported to Kaechon camp, while their relatives (parents, children, siblings, grandchildren) were deported to Pukchang camp. Only based on their kinship they are classified as politically unreliable and are imprisoned without any lawsuit or conviction.

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