--- title: "Camp 22, Hoeryong: North Korea Prison Camp Dossier | Save North Korea" description: "Camp 22, Hoeryong (Political prison camp (kwanliso)): Closed ~2012. Located in North Hamgyong Province. Once one of the largest camps. Closed around 2012. What happened to its prisoners is unknown." url: "https://savenorthkorea.org/camps/kwanliso-22" language: en translations: en: https://savenorthkorea.org/camps/kwanliso-22 ko: https://savenorthkorea.org/ko/camps/kwanliso-22 ja: https://savenorthkorea.org/ja/camps/kwanliso-22 zh-Hans: https://savenorthkorea.org/zh/camps/kwanliso-22 --- [Prison camps](https://savenorthkorea.org/camps) · North Hamgyong Province Political prison camp · kwanliso # Camp 22, Hoeryong 22호 회령 관리소 Camp 22 was a massive total control camp in Hoeryong, North Hamgyong Province, holding an estimated 50,000 prisoners across hundreds of square kilometers. Testimonies from former guard Ahn Myong-chol documented systemic torture, forced abortion, and starvation rations. Satellite surveillance confirmed the camp was shuttered around 2012, though the fate of remaining prisoners remains unknown. **Unknown** prisoners no reliable published estimate **Closed** Closed \~2012 **State Security** run by Bowibu Hoeryong City · North Hamgyong Camp 22, Hoeryong · 42.5845°N, 129.8776°E [Google Maps ↗](https://www.google.com/maps/@42.5844976,129.8776233,13z/data=!3m1!1e3) · Imagery © Esri, Maxar, Earthstar Geographics [ Open on the intel map](https://savenorthkorea.org/map#camps=camp-4)[ Hoeryong City county](https://savenorthkorea.org/counties/hoeryong)[ How the camp system works](https://savenorthkorea.org/learn/north-korea-prison-camps) ## Satellite watch Captured 8 Oct 2026 Our own images of this 7.7 km square from the European Copernicus Sentinel-2 satellites: the newest clear picture, and the clearest one from each of the last 24 months. One pixel is 10 m, enough to see roads, fields, ponds and large buildings, not people. ![Sentinel-2 satellite image of Camp 22, Hoeryong, 7.7 km across, captured 8 Oct 2026](https://savenorthkorea.org/img/sentinel/kwanliso-22/2026-10-08.jpg) ![Sentinel-2 satellite image of Camp 22, Hoeryong, 7.7 km across, captured 3 Oct 2025](https://savenorthkorea.org/img/sentinel/kwanliso-22/2025-10-03.jpg) 3 Oct 2025 8 Oct 2026 **Before: 3 Oct 2025** Cloud in this square: 0% Scene [S2B\_52TEN\_20251003\_0\_L2A](https://earth-search.aws.element84.com/v1/collections/sentinel-2-l2a/items/S2B%5F52TEN%5F20251003%5F0%5FL2A) [Open this day in Copernicus Browser ↗](https://browser.dataspace.copernicus.eu/?zoom=13&lat=42.58450&lng=129.87762&themeId=DEFAULT-THEME&datasetId=S2%5FL2A%5FCDAS&fromTime=2025-10-03T00%3A00%3A00.000Z&toTime=2025-10-03T23%3A59%3A59.999Z&layerId=1%5FTRUE%5FCOLOR) **After: 8 Oct 2026** Cloud in this square: 0% Scene [S2B\_52TEN\_20261008\_0\_L2A](https://earth-search.aws.element84.com/v1/collections/sentinel-2-l2a/items/S2B%5F52TEN%5F20261008%5F0%5FL2A) [Open this day in Copernicus Browser ↗](https://browser.dataspace.copernicus.eu/?zoom=13&lat=42.58450&lng=129.87762&themeId=DEFAULT-THEME&datasetId=S2%5FL2A%5FCDAS&fromTime=2026-10-08T00%3A00%3A00.000Z&toTime=2026-10-08T23%3A59%3A59.999Z&layerId=1%5FTRUE%5FCOLOR) Pick a month to compare with the latest image We pick each image by measuring cloud inside this square from the satellite’s own scene classification. Months with no clear image are left out. We do not mark or interpret anything in the pictures. The ring marks the point on our map. Contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data 2024-2026 · [Copernicus Data Space](https://dataspace.copernicus.eu/) · [Sentinel-2 L2A COGs (AWS)](https://registry.opendata.aws/sentinel-2-l2a-cogs/) ## Crimes against humanity Whole families are sent to kwanliso without trial under guilt by association (yeonjwa-je). The 2014 UN Commission of Inquiry found these crimes in the political prison camps: - Extermination - Murder - Enslavement - Torture - Imprisonment - Rape - Forced abortion - Persecution - Enforced disappearance ## Sources - [**HRNK prison camp map** hrnk.org ↗ ](https://www.hrnk.org/) - [**Wikipedia** en.wikipedia.org ↗ ](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hoeryong%5Fconcentration%5Fcamp) - [**UN Commission of Inquiry (2014)** ohchr.org ↗ ](https://www.ohchr.org/en/hr-bodies/hrc/co-idprk/commission-inquiry-on-h-rin-dprk) ## Other facilities in North Hamgyong Province - [ © Esri, Maxar **Camp 25, Chongjin** Political prison camp · Operating, expanded in the 2010s ](https://savenorthkorea.org/camps/kwanliso-25) - [ © Esri, Maxar **Camp 16, Hwasong** Political prison camp · Operating ](https://savenorthkorea.org/camps/kwanliso-16) - [ © Esri, Maxar **Facility at Udan** Political prison camp · Operating (per HRNK) ](https://savenorthkorea.org/camps/facility-at-udan)