Document Revealed North Korean Experiments on Living Bodies of Political Prisoners

A North Korean document supporting the facts that North Korea implemented chemical weapon experiments on the living bodies of political prisoners in concentration camps was put up for public view on February 12.

Human Rights Alliance for North Korean Refugees held a press interview in its office in Seoul and exhibited the original version of the “hand-over” document which reported the handing over of political prisoners for chemical weapon experiments in North Korea.

The hand-over document states, “The above person is handed over to the 2.8 Vinylon United Company’s Defense Department from 2.8 Vinylon United Company’s Ilyong Second Division as an object of live body experiment testing chemical weapons made of liquid gas.”

An “Absolute Secret” seal is marked on the top of the document along with personal details of the experiment objects such as the names, gender, and birth dates. The date “Feb. 13, Juche 91 (2002)” is printed on the bottom of the document with the signature of the related official as well as the red seal of the defense department.

The Human Rights Alliance explained how it has obtained the document saying, “A person called Kang, who had escaped North Korea in 2001 and arrived in Seoul later, acquired this document last August from his father in China who was an engineer in a chemical plant in North Korea.”

“Kang’s father escaped North Korea with two other family members, but they were arrested in China by police in early January and appeared to have been deported back to North Korea,” said the Alliance.

Meanwhile, the seal printed on the document reads “National Defense Department” instead of the official name of the North Korea intelligence agency, “National Security and Defense Department,” which fuels doubt over the credibility of the document.

A related official in an intelligence agency responded to the doubt saying, “There is probability that North Korea implemented living body experiments, but concrete proofs regarding the facilities or organizations are still lacking” and added, “We doubt the credibility of the document judging from the format and the contents of the hand-over document.”

Jin-Kyun Kil leon@donga.com