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A North Korean soldier patrols the bank of the Yalu River, which separates the North Korean town of Sinuiju from the Chinese border town of Dandong, on Saturday, April 26. A recent United Nations report described a brutal North Korean state “that does not have any parallel in the contemporary world.”
A soldier looks through binoculars inside a sentry post along the bank of the Yalu River on Monday, April 7.
In this photo released Thursday, April 24, by the state-run Korean Central News Agency, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un smiles with female soldiers after inspecting a rocket-launching drill at an undisclosed location.
A picture released on Tuesday, March 18, by the KCNA shows Kim attending a shooting practice at a military academy in Pyongyang, North Korea.
A North Korean soldier uses binoculars on Thursday, February 6, to look at South Korea from the border village of Panmunjom, which has separated the two Koreas since the Korean War.
A North Korean soldier kicks a pole along the banks of the Yalu River on Tuesday, February 4.
A photo released by the KCNA on Thursday, January 23, shows the North Korean leader inspecting an army unit during a winter drill.
Kim inspects the command of an army unit in this undated photo released Sunday, January 12, by the KCNA.
Kim visits an army unit in this undated photo.
A picture released by the KCNA on Wednesday, December 25, shows Kim visiting an army unit near the western port city of Nampo.
Kim inspects a military factory in this undated picture released by the KCNA on Friday, May 17.
Kim visits the Ministry of People’s Security on Wednesday, May 1, as part of the country’s May Day celebrations.
A North Korean soldier, near Sinuiju, gestures to stop photographers from taking photos on Saturday, April 6.
North Korean soldiers gather by the docks in Sinuiju, near the Chinese border, on Thursday, April 4.
North Korean soldiers patrol near the Yalu River on April 4.
Kim is briefed by his generals in this undated photo. On the wall is a map titled “Plan for the strategic forces to target mainland U.S.”
Kim works during a briefing in this undated photo.
In this KCNA photo, Kim inspects naval drills at an undisclosed location on North Korea’s east coast on Monday, March 25.
Kim, with North Korean soldiers, makes his way to an observation post on March 25.
Kim uses a pair of binoculars to look south from the Jangjae Islet Defense Detachment, near South Korea’s Taeyonphyong Island, on Thursday, March 7.
Kim is greeted by a soldier’s family as he inspects the Jangjae Islet Defense Detachment on March 7.
Kim is surrounded by soldiers during a visit to the Mu Islet Hero Defense Detachment, also near Taeyonphyong Island, on March 7.
Kim arrives at Jangjae Islet by boat to meet with soldiers of the Jangjae Islet Defense Detachment on March 7.
Soldiers in the North Korean army train at an undisclosed location on Wednesday, March 6.
In a photo released by the official North Korean news agency in December 2012, Kim celebrates a rocket’s launch with staff from the satellite control center in Pyongyang.
Kim, center, poses in this undated picture released by North Korea’s official news agency in November 2012.
Kim Jong Un visits the Rungna People’s Pleasure Ground, under construction in Pyongyang, in a photo released in July 2012 by the KNCA.
A crowd watches as statues of North Korean founder Kim Il Sung and his son Kim Jong Il are unveiled during a ceremony in Pyongyang in April 2012.
A North Korean soldier stands guard in front of an UNHA III rocket at the Tangachai-ri Space Center in April 2012.
In April 2012, Pyongyang launched a long-range rocket that broke apart and fell into the sea. Here, the UNHA III rocket is pictured on its launch pad in Tang Chung Ri, North Korea.
A closer look at the UNHA III rocket on its launch pad in Tang Chung Ri, North Korea.
A military vehicle participates in a parade in Pyongyang in April 2012.
North Koreans wave flags in front of portraits of Kim Il Sung, left, and Kim Jong Il during celebrations to mark the 100th birth anniversary of Kim Il Sung in Pyongyang in April 2012.
North Korean soldiers relax at the end of an official ceremony attended by leader Kim Jong Un at a stadium in Pyongyang in April 2012.
Kim Jong Un applauds as he watches a military parade in Pyongyang in April 2012.
A North Korean soldier stands on a balcony in Pyongyang in April 2012.
North Korean soldiers march during a military parade in Pyongyang in April 2012.
Soldiers board a bus outside a theater in Pyongyang in April 2012.
North Korean performers sit below a screen showing images of leader Kim Jong Un in Pyongyang in April 2012.
North Korean soldiers salute during a military parade in Pyongyang in April 2012.
North Korean soldiers listen to a speech during an official ceremony attended by leader Kim Jong Un at a stadium in Pyongyang in April 2012.
Members of a North Korean military band gather following an official ceremony at the Kim Il Sung stadium in Pyongyang in April 2012.
North Korean military personnel watch a performance in Pyongyang in April 2012.
A North Korean controller is seen along the railway line between the Pyongyang and North Pyongan provinces in April 2012.
A North Korean military honor guard stands at attention at Pyongyang’s airport in May 2001.
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(CNN) — North Korea’s Supreme Court has sentenced a South Korean man to life of hard labor for commiting “hostile acts” against the country, according to its state-run news agency, KCNA.
The South Korean, identified as Kim Jong Uk, averted the death sentence because he allegedly “repented of his crimes,” which included an attempt to set up an underground church inside the country, according to KCNA.
Kim was charged with state subversion, espionage and anti-state propaganda, agitation and illegal entry into the border. The defendant confessed to the crimes in a trial held May 30, according to KCNA.
North Korea is known to push detainees to make false confessions.
American held captive nearly 500 days
Statues of Kim Il Sung (left) and Kim Jong Il (right) at Mansudae in Pyongyang. North Koreans gather in front of the statues to lay flowers and bow, showing their respect for the late and current leader. Tourists visiting North Korea are expected to do the same.
This year’s Victory Day, on July 2, attracted a lot of Western tourists. The highlight of the tour was watching the military parade of tanks, troops and missiles. Many tourists got caught up in the spirit of the event, high-fiving soldiers as they drove past.
Group tours of Pyongyang are often accompanied by a North Korea cameraman, in addition to two or three guides. The cameraman accompanies the group to many of the main tourist sites and then offers tourists a DVD of their trip for about 15 Euro (US$20). Cynical tourists suggest this is a good way to monitor visitors.
A flower vendor beside a Kim Il Sung statue in Pyongyang sells bouquets of flowers to locals and tourists to lay at the foot of the statue.
Tours of North Korea are carefully choreographed affairs so an unexpected mishap, such as the bus breaking down, visibly rattles the guides. Australian tourist Mark Freeman compares such occasional glitches to the “black cat” scene in “The Matrix.”
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Defector lifts curtain on North Korea
South Korean officials condemned the sentence, saying that North Korea was “in serious violation” of international norms, and urged for Kim’s release.
“North Korea did not respond at all to our request for the family and the legal counsel to access Kim Jeong-uk,” said the Unification Ministry spokesperson. The English spelling of Kim’s name varied between KCNA and South Korea’s ministry.
Kim’s previous appearance
KCNA outlined Kim’s alleged crimes: “He committed anti-DPRK religious acts, malignantly hurting the dignity of the supreme leadership of the DPRK overseas and tried to infiltrate into Pyongyang after illegally trespassing on the border for the purpose of setting up underground church and gathering information about the internal affairs of the DPRK while luring its inhabitants into south Korea and spying on the DPRK.”
In February, Kim appeared before foreign journalists in Pyongyang and apologized for carrying out “anti-state” activities.
Kim said he had worked as a missionary for several years on the Chinese side of the border with North Korea, running a church that sought North Korean converts.
Missionaries in North Korea
A satellite image of a village in the northern part of North Korean political camp 16 (Kwanliso) taken in September 2011.
A year and a half later, in April 2013, the area appears to have undergone change, with new housing being recently added or under construction. The guard post in the immediate vicinity of the village allows for constant supervision of the prisoners and is indicative of the tight security within the political prison camp, says Amnesty International.
In June 2010, an image of the political prison camp known as Kwanliso 16 shows a new facility under construction.
In November 2012, the industrial facility appears to be operational and new support buildings are visible — a sign of further investment in mining, agriculture and logging production facilities, according to Amnesty.
A satellite image shows a checkpoint on the main road. Amnesty International said these images indicate that repression by the North Korean authorities has continued in spite of growing calls for the country to close its political prison camps.
An administrative area of Kwanliso 16 in May, 2011.
An image taken in May, 2013 indicates that housing in the area has been razed and reconstructed. Amnesty International said the prisoner population in Kwanliso 16 appears to have increased slightly.
Two more housing units under construction close to the main entrance of Kwanliso 16. Each building has ten 4 x 3.5 meter units.
The camp is surrounded by a double fence along its perimeter and numerous guard posts. Access is highly restricted through two gates on opposite sides of the political prison camp.
In March 2011, logging is widely visible in the camp.
An image from September 2013 shows that logging activities have been ongoing over a two year period.
One of four satellite images taken of a probable furniture factory. Lumber piles changed over time, indicating production activity.
Satellite images of Kwanliso 15 (Yodok Kwanliso), taken on the 26 March 2011 and 22 February 2012 show an administrative compound that was built during that period. The complex is likely to be a guard station or an administrative area to support logging activities.
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North Korea’s political prisons growing?
Missionaries have sought to evangelize in North Korea, as the totalitarian country forbids independent religious activities. Although North Korea contains a number of state-controlled churches, they are considered for show to international audiences, according to a report by the United Nations Commission of Inquiry on Human Rights in North Korea.
Religion, especially Christianity, is viewed as a political threat because the state does not condone any belief system other than its official state ideology, according to the report.
The images North Korea doesn’t want seen
Warning: Graphic. In these chilling drawings released to the United Nations, former North Korean prisoner Kim Kwang-Il details torture methods he witnessed during his time in captivity. In this position, called “pigeon torture,” Kim says he was beaten on the chest until he vomited blood.
Text: “Scale, airplane, motorcycle.” According to UN reports, Kim says he had to stay in painful stress positions with arms extended until he collapsed out of exhaustion.
Text: “Detention center.”
Text: “Out of starvation and hunger, find snakes and rats and you eat them.”
Text: “Pump torture. After sitting, you stand about a hundred times.”
Text: “The mice eat the eyes, nose, ears, and toes of the corpses.”
Text: “The corpses are taken to the crematorium.”
Text: “Solitary confinement punishment. Capturing mice from inside the cell.”
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Revealed: Recollections of North Korean torture methods
Witnesses claim that underground churches function inside North Korea, according to the U.N. report. Also, missionaries and underground churches have secretly set up in China near the border to aid defectors.
North Korea is currently holding Kenneth Bae, a Korean-American, who was arrested in November 2012, after entering the city as a tourist. Bae was sentenced in May 2013, accused of trying to topple the North Korean government and bringing religious activities into the country. Bae has remained in North Korean custody despite efforts by the U.S. and his family.
Earlier this year, John Short, a 75-year-old Australian missionary was detained by North Korean authorities in February. He had “committed a criminal act by secretly spreading his Bible tracts around a Buddhist temple in Pyongyang,” after entering the country as a tourist, according to KCNA. After issuing a public apology, Short was released.
‘Abundant evidence’ of crimes against humanity in North Korea
Opinion: World must awaken to North Korea’s camps of horror
CNN’s Jethro Mullen contribute to this report.