By Tae-jun Kang
A new report suggests that the number of political prisoners in North Korea has declined since 2009.
North Korea may have reduced its number of political prisoners and closed one of its prison camps, South Korea’s state-run think tank revealed on June 17.
According to the report by the Korea Institute for National Unification (KINU), between 80,000 and 120,000 political prisoners are estimated to be detained in five North Korean political prisons.
The estimate is based on a series of interviews with North Korean defectors and analysis of satellite images of North Korea.
However, the report said the drop in the estimated number of political prisoners and prison camps does not reflect any improvement or changes in the North’s policies toward political prisoners.
“It is difficult to say that the reduction in the number and the size of prison camps was the result of any changes in the North Korean authorities’ stance or policy toward political prisons,” the report said.
The report went on to state that regardless of specific numbers, the important factor to remember is that the North Korean government still maintains the political prisoner camps, which reduce the level of hostility and threats the government faces from society.
Read the full story at The Diplomat