I. Introduction: A System of Fear and Exploitation 
North Korea’s vast network of political prison camps and forced labour facilities represents one of the most extreme human rights crises in the modern world. Tens of thousands of citizens, including entire families, are imprisoned under vague accusations of disloyalty or dissent. Inside these camps, torture, starvation, and forced labour are routine. The brutality of this system leaves many North Koreans desperate to escape, with migration abroad often serving as the only means of survival. 

II. Political Prison Camps: The Architecture of Repression 
North Korea operates several sprawling political prison camps, known as kwanliso, where prisoners are incarcerated indefinitely without trial. Survivors describe conditions of forced labour, public executions, and systematic torture. Inmates often include not only alleged dissidents but also their relatives, punished under the regime’s policy of ‘guilt by association’. 

III. Forced Labour as State Policy 
Forced labour is central to the regime’s control and economy. Prisoners are compelled to work in mines, logging camps, factories, and farms under inhumane conditions. Workdays are long and physically exhausting, with little food or medical care, leading to widespread injury and death. 

IV. Everyday Cruelty and Starvation 
Starvation is used deliberately as a tool of punishment and control within labour camps. Prisoners subsist on meagre rations of corn and soup, forcing them to eat grass, rodents, or insects to survive. Malnutrition contributes to high death rates, while medical neglect ensures preventable diseases claim countless lives. 

V. Torture and Punishment 
Physical abuse and torture are routine in political prison camps. Detainees are beaten, subjected to stress positions, and placed in solitary confinement. Executions, both public and secret, serve as warnings to others, reinforcing the climate of terror. 

VI. Targeting of Families 
North Korea’s policy of collective punishment means that families of accused individuals are imprisoned alongside them. Children grow up in camps, denied education and subjected to forced labour from a young age. This intergenerational cruelty deepens trauma and perpetuates cycles of suffering.

VII. Exploitation Beyond Borders 
North Korea also sends workers abroad under forced labour schemes, with earnings funnelled back to the regime. These workers, often in construction or agriculture, face confiscated wages, surveillance, and harsh conditions that mirror domestic labour camps. 

VIII. The Risk of Escape 
Escaping from political prison camps is nearly impossible, with guards ordered to shoot on sight. Those who attempt to flee and are recaptured face brutal punishment or execution. Nevertheless, stories of successful escapes inspire others to take the same life-threatening risks. 

IX. Repatriation and Further Persecution 
North Koreans who escape to China face the risk of forced repatriation. Upon return, defectors are treated as traitors, often sent directly to prison camps or executed. This harsh response underscores the regime’s determination to deter flight. 

X. Testimonies from Survivors 
Survivors of North Korea’s prison camps provide harrowing testimonies of daily brutality. Their accounts of forced labour, torture, and starvation shed light on conditions otherwise hidden from the outside world. These testimonies have been crucial in documenting abuses and pressuring the international community to act. 

XI. Migration as a Lifeline 
For many North Koreans, escape abroad is the only chance to survive the brutality of forced labour camps. Asylum claims often cite imprisonment and forced labour as central reasons for seeking protection. Exile offers a fragile but vital path to freedom and the possibility of rebuilding their lives. 

XII. Conclusion: A Nation Trapped in Camps 
North Korea’s reliance on political prison camps and forced labour underscores the regime’s use of fear and cruelty as tools of governance. Until these practices end, migration will remain a desperate escape for citizens who risk everything to flee the nightmare of imprisonment and exploitation.