Kim Kwang-Il created these illustrations depicting conditions of torture and starvation that he both witnessed and endured to accompany his UN testimony. Warning: these images are graphic.
Knowledge of the horrors that people have gone through in North Korean prison camps is coming more and more to light, and now the UN is calling for North Korean leaders to stand trial for crimes comparable to those of the Nazis.
Michael Kirby, Chairperson of the Commission of Inquiry on Human Rights in North Korea.
Denis Balibouse / Reuters
Kim Kwang-Il is a 48-year-old survivor of the prison camps. He spent nearly three years in torturous conditions for smuggling nuts across the border. Along with his testimony to the UN, he's provided these illustrations depicting the camp's conditions.
The caption indicates that the prisoners are enduring something referred to as "pigeon torture."
In his testimony, Kwang-Il describes the torture where prisoners were "supposed to think there’s an imaginary motorcycle and we are supposed to be in this position as if we are riding the motorcycle."
"And for this, we pose as if we are airplanes ourselves. We are flying. And if we stand like this there’s no way that you can hold that position for a long time. You are bound to fall forward."
