A survivor: Soon Ok Lee 7 years of torture in N. Korean prison camp

MSNBC ^

[freepeeee]

Jan. 15 — Soon Ok Lee is a former prisoner at Kaechon Prison in North Korea. She recently published her memoirs and testified about her experiences before the U.S. Congress. She also spoke with NBC News about her time at Kaechon. Below is an edited account of that discussion, in her own words. (Editor’s note: Soon’s descriptions are graphic and may not be suitable reading for all.)

[buffyt]

I just read the entire article. How horrible! As bad as Hitler or worse!

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[KevinDavis]

Wait a minute troture in the workers paradise?

[mallardx]

I think that is the most atrocious story I've ever read; and I cannot understand the moral midgets who say Bush was wrong to call North Korea "evil" - he pegged them directly. Forward this story to your friends; everyone MUST read this...

[AmericanInTokyo]

What is your position on Iraq? Should we invade or attack them? Just curious.

(PS thanks for the North Korean stuff: It sure makes Clinton look bad as he ignored all the atrocities).

[mad puppy]

Somehow this has to be Bush's fault. If only he hadn't included N. Korea in the axis of evil comment none of this would have gotten out and we could've continued with our lives not knowing. What was he thinking when he spoke the truth?

[freepeeee]

I think Saddam has to be dealt with sooner rather than later. Both Iraq and Korea have to be dealt with. The order Bush and Rumsfield decide to do it in doesn't matter to me. Korea is worse and more of a threat, but as long as Bush takes them out at some point in the near future I'll be happy. What about you?

[VOA]

I just read the entire article. How horrible! As bad as Hitler or worse!

The Los Angeles Times carried an article with the recollections of a South Korean
man who'd been detained by the North Koreans for trying to evade service with their forces
(IIRC, this was at the outset of the conflict; this article ran when the 50th
anniversary of the Korean War was being observed).

The South Korean gentleman recalled seeing some of his fellow prisoners killed by ax or
being burned to death by the prison guards...I'll never forget what he said:

"The Communists (North Koreans) were worse than the Japanese."

That gives you some idea of the sadism of the North Korean Communists...

This is one reason I (with apprehension) support going after Saddam...he and his
band of sadists are headed down the same path as the North Koreans...and will be just
as "untouchable" once they get nukes.

[moneyrunner]

The organizers of the recent anti-American rally in Washington went to North Korea to express their solidarity with the animals who did this.

[AmericanInTokyo]

Personally I would have much more preferred Bush started with North Korea in his early administration (of course 9-11 changed a lot of things), however, we are so far down the road now and have pulled out all the stops in Iraq, and have basically told the Germans and French and the rest of the "Old Europe" (literally moments ago) to go screw themselves and sit on the sidelines over Iraq, that we cannot back down and reposition our forces to Korea. Having said that, we need a quick and massive victory in Iraq, and I mean in no less than 2-3 weeks, stabilize it, and then immediately proceed with UN sanctions, blockade, regime change for North Korea as a summer/fall project.

[AmericanInTokyo]

United States Holocaust Memorial Museum 100 Raoul Wallenberg Place, SW Washington, DC 20024-2126

Dear Curator, Holocaust Museum, Washington, DC:

I have toured your museum and have been profoundly moved. I particularly appreciate and support the reoccuring theme in the museum: this can never be tolerated or allowed to be repeated; never again!

Please read the enclosed news reports about North Korea. Notice the similiarities to Auschwitz, Buchenwald, Bergen-Belsen, Treblinka and Dachau.

Please, Mr. Curator, can some of us, the concerned, construct a small, visiting special exhibition in the corner of the Holocaust Museum in Washington DC, entitled "North Korean Concentration Camps", complete with photos, sketches, satellite pictures, and videos of defector's comments? After all, as I am sure you agree: 'Never Again!'

Thank you for your consideration and awaiting your positive ideas,

American in Tokyo

[LibWhacker]

Another horrible story: North Korean Prison Guard Remembers Atrocities. This regime is as bad as the Khmer Rouge was in Cambodia. And it's been in power for more than 50 years. Amazing that RATS, who hate America so much, have no such hate for the North Korean regime.

[HighRoadToChina]

Ping for later.

[texas booster]

I read the article and was amazed that any leftist could still defend the "workers paradise". Doesn't anyone remember Eastern Europe, the gulags or the (continuing) Chinese prison camps?

The article referenced a follow-on piece at Newsweek. Newsweek referenced the story of an Italian chef brought to N Korea to teach Jong Il's chefs to make excellent pizza. It is worth reading especially after reading this article on the prison camps.

I made pizza for Kim Jong-il Part 1: Welcome to Megalopolis
By Ermanno Furlanis

I made pizza for Kim Jong-il Part 2: Hot ovens at the seaside
By Ermanno Furlanis

I MADE PIZZA FOR KIM JONG-IL Part 3: The great man eats
By Ermanno Furlanis

This pampered Italian chef is invited to visit N Korea to teach the great leaders chefs how to make perfect pizza. While I doubt that the chef is a communist, he is certainly both a socialist and a capitalist at the same time. Socialist, because he would even consider going to N Korea freely, and capitalist, because he made an awful lot of money in the process.

[aimhigh]

Her book is called "EYES OF THE TAILLESS ANIMALS". The animals are the prisoners in N. Korean jails. Good read.

[nycgal]

bump

[griffin]

Kind of interesting...never remembered too much propoganda against the North until recently. Interesting how the mechanism of public manipulation ins engaged....why all of this propoganda now? This has been going on for years right? But now in the past few weeks, all these stories come out? I guess it is too late for all those who died miserable deaths years ago. And what about Sudan?

I'm the first to say it would be nice if the North's people were liberated from this evil menace, either directly or in-directly....as well as other sadistic dictatorships....

I just think this is a great example of how the government and media release propaganda, at select times, to manipulate the population. Kind of gives you insight as to how the world really works...

[upchuck]

I have this uneasy feeling that by the end of 2003 or so we'll have discovered this and more in Iraq.

[upchuck]

I have this uneasy feeling that by the end of 2003 or so we'll have discovered this and more in Iraq.