I spent ten years living as a prisoner inside of a North Korean political prison camp. My name is Kang Chol-hwan, AMA.

what kind of food did they give you to eat and what time did you have to get up and go to bed ? did they let you talk to the other prisoners at all?

They had a very limited ration of food. As there were many corn fields, they mostly ate corn as a staple. Due to a period of malnutrition, people started turning to hunting for rats for consumption.

Prisoners are able to talk to each other.

What were some of the more extreme things you saw while in camp?

Did you make any friends in prison that you intend to keep up with as time goes by?

What is the craziest thing that happened to you personally while serving your time?

xtreme things y

The most extreme thing in the camp was how desperate people were to live. And also, seeing executions, where people were hang to death in public. The most normal form of execution is by shooting.

I have made friends in North Korea. However, it is very dangerous to contact them even in North Korea. Needless to say, it is even more difficult when I'm in South Korea.

What memory do you cherish the most from North Korea? What memory do you wish you could forget? Thank you for everything you have done.

The most cherish memory: When he was in Pyongyang and attending elementary school.

The memory he wish he could forget: When he was in prison.

This translator isn't really into nuance.

or providing any depth of an answer...of course he hates the 10 year memory of prison

Translator: that's exactly how he replied :) As some questions were repeated and there were time limitations, we were unable to provide much depth for some questions. While doing the interview with Mr Kang, he said it in the most earnest and straightforward manner that his life in prison was the worst and he wished he could forget it.... not specific parts but in general.

How did you escape North Korea and did you flee alone?

Huge respects to you, I can't think how strong people like you are.

He escaped by the river into China. With the help of some Chinese, he hid in a Chinese vessel into international waters and got saved by a Korean ship. He escaped with his friend.

What percentage of North Koreans don't like Kim Jong Un?

At first, there weren't many people who dislike them because of the lack of outside information.

In the past, 80% of people liked Kim Il Sung.40% liked Kim Jong Il. However, as there is an influx of outside information, Mr Kang suggests that only 20% of people like Kim Jong Un.

Also, as there are many negative connotation about Kim Jong Un. eg. Building mixed saunas and karaokes for adult entertainment.

I'm curious for this statement. Are mixed saunas and karaoke a bad thing? I would think it could be seen as a gift to the oppressed people.

When your people is starving I'm not sure Karaoke/Saunas are appreciated.If I was poor and hungry in NK, I think I would see this as a gift to the people that are rich enough to not worry about food and others first necessities things like medication.

EDIT: I'm reading this again, and I may have misunderstood. Are the people actually complaining about mixity or the establishments ?

North Korea is nevertheless still an Asian and conservative country.

If I were to guess I would guess that these places are only for the inner circle, and young girls plucked from various places around the country. If that's right, I could see people objecting to the elite behaving as they do in a similar way to how we object to Epstein's Island.

That's right. While North Korea is a patriotic society, it is also a conservative one. With adult establishments as such in midst of starvation and other forms of suffering, it really shows a bad image of Kim.

Sure I can see your point. I'm curious about what we can do. The people are starving, but what can they do? What can we do? Is it better to be starving and have no karaoke or to be starving and have karaoke? I'm not trying to be an ass. Is he giving them "bread and circuses" to detract from the lack of food and medication?

To explain further, it's KIM putting the elite's (aka, those that can afford) sexual needs first and the most basic survival necessities of people that makes it a huge problem. It becomes obvious that Kim doesn't care about them at all despite being their supreme leader, and therefore, making him a less respectable leader. Hope this answers your question

What made you question the propaganda while so many others never did?

External information made him question the propaganda. The truth is, as external information and content becomes more common in North Korea (via the black market or through sharing), more and more people are questioning the credibility of the regime. However, many people are uncertain of what can be done to improve in the situation.

Is there any good description of this increase in external information? What information is people in NK interested in?

Through interviews and years of working with North Korean Elites, their interests depend on the age group.

Older people prefer serial and period dramas and young elites (those in university) like intellectual content such as books about economics, etc. In general, variety shows and dramas are very popular among NKeans.

While we all think that everyone in NK are being trapped in the country, that's fortunately not the case. Elites get to go overseas, mostly in China for businesses or as ambassadors. Their children are also able to study there. With that, they are naturally more aware and able to look for external information.

I read your book about 10 years ago and it left an impact. To the best of your knowledge, is Yodok still there?

Yes, it is still there. However, due to the arrest of Jang Sung Taek and his family, Yodok prison was reestablished once again.

Have you seen the kdrama Crash Landing on You? Do you believe it was able to portray life in North Korea well?

If you haven't seen it, how well do you believe South Koreans understand life in North Korea?

Yes, he feels that the drama has portrayed life in North Korea well.

He feels that South Koreans see them as foreigners. They are intrigued and they receive many information. However, due to the differences in mindset, they have a distorted perception about North Koreans.

Do you suffer from any PTSD?

Do the events that happened in the prison effect your everyday life?

To be honest, he isn't sure. He felt like he has gotten used to it, but definitely, it was an extremely traumatic experience. With this traumatic experiences, Mr.Kang feels that it has affected all prisoners and North Koreans even though they may not feel anything. Sometimes, simple things in everyday life reminds him of the life in prison, eg. Feeling chilly on a rainy day makes him feel gloomy.

Do you think that the average NK citizen believes that the regime has their best interest at heart?

Do you think that the average NK citizen believes that the regime has their best interest at heart

Definitely not. NK citizens know that the regime does not have their best interest but most of them could not do anything to change their circumstances.

Is it true that marijuana is legal in North Korea? Is it commonly smoked by people there?

Nope, it is illegal. But it is really commonly smoked and available. Also, punishment is lenient.

Despite the horrible conditions inside of the camp, was there anything positive that gave you hope/respite?

Although the camp is horrible, he feels like it gives people the will to live even when life is hard. Also, although it is really small, he made many friends and it seems rather close knitted.

do you believe south korea and north korea will/can be united?

do you believe south korea and north korea will/can be united?

If the government is North Korea is still there, I don't think it's possible. Due to the difference in political stance.

What kind of external media you send across seas? I know you said movies, documentaries, etc. But are you just sending stuff to people who ask, is there a mailing list?

Im glad you made it out, and are trying to help others who were in some sort of trouble as you were. It's nice seeing the good side of things like there can be a light at the end of the tunnel.

Hi! I'm a staff working with Mr Kang. I'll help answer some questions related to the organization and leave the rest to be answered personally by Mr Kang next week!
We send information through USBs, external harddrives and chips. We've people working with us in China. As we've been doing this for years, we've collated a list of people that are interested in the content. Usually, these people are elites making frequent trips to China.

We are now looking into sending entrepreneurship content to university students as many defectors of that age has expressed interest :).

Thank you so much for your question.

That is very interesting, I was under the impression that most North Koreans do not have access to computers, and the ones that do, have their computers locked down by the government.

So how can they view this content?

Staff: Small computers that Chinese businessmen smuggle in can be attained from the black market. In recent years, we received inside news that a few university students were caught watching external content in their dormitories. The main instigator was expelled and later disappeared. The rest of them were forced to stop school for a year and were sent to a reform institution for a year. So, while they can view these content, it is also quite risky for them to do so.

What are your feelings of Trump getting friendly with Kim Jong un?

What are your feelings of Trump getting friendly with Kim Jong un?

At first, it seemed like a good thing. It feels like Kim Jong Un is more comfortable with Trump as compared to Xi Jin Ping.

However, Trump is now against Kim Jong Un as he failed to denuclearize as promised. Trump probably thinks that his discussions with Kim Jong Un was useful for re-election