An evening with Shin Dong-hyuk: A window into North Korean death camps
- Where: Václav Havel Library, Ostrovní 13, Prague 110 00
- When: October 2, 2014, 19:00 – 21:00
Shin Dong-hyuk was born in a labour camp (Camp 14, Kaechon, Total Control Zone). He escaped and dedicated his life to bearing witness to how people are born and die in the camps. “I think I am still evolving – from an animal to a human,” he says in his book Escape from Camp 14, which he wrote with journalist Blaine Harden and which became a worldwide bestseller.
Shin’s uncles cooperated with the South Koreans during the war, leading to now three generations being imprisoned in labour camps as “traitors to the state”. Shin spent 23 years in the camps, experiencing nothing but drudgery, violence and fear. In 1996 he witnessed the execution of his mother and brother, whom he himself had informed on for trying to escape. According to Amnesty International’s data, there are around 200,000 prisoners in camps in North Korea today; however, the regime denies that the camps exist.
Discussion will be moderated by Štěpán Černoušek. Jaromír Chlada will also participate.
Interpretation from Korean: Tomáš Horák. Examples of Korean cuisine will serve as refreshments.
The evening is being held in cooperation with the Euromedia publishing house.
Related photographs
- An Evening with Shin Dong-hyuk: A window into North Korean death camps (2. 10. 2014) October 16, 2014
- An Evening with Shin Dong-hyuk: A window into North Korean death camps (2. 10. 2014) October 3, 2014