--- title: "Kyohwaso No. 12, Chongori: North Korea Prison Camp Dossier | Save North Korea" description: "Kyohwaso No. 12, Chongori (Prison (kyohwaso)): Operating. Located in North Hamgyong Province. Holds many people forcibly sent back from China after escaping. Testimony describes starvation and abuse, especially of women." url: "https://savenorthkorea.org/camps/kyohwaso-12-chongori" language: en translations: en: https://savenorthkorea.org/camps/kyohwaso-12-chongori ko: https://savenorthkorea.org/ko/camps/kyohwaso-12-chongori ja: https://savenorthkorea.org/ja/camps/kyohwaso-12-chongori zh-Hans: https://savenorthkorea.org/zh/camps/kyohwaso-12-chongori --- [Prison camps](https://savenorthkorea.org/camps) · North Hamgyong Province Prison · kyohwaso # Kyohwaso No. 12, Chongori 12호 전거리 교화소 Kyohwaso No. 12 at Chongori, Hoeryong, North Hamgyong Province, is the principal prison where North Koreans forcibly repatriated from China are sent. The UN Commission of Inquiry documented severe abuses, including routine torture, fatal beatings, forced abortions, and starvation. Activist Jihyun Park survived imprisonment here before escaping a second time. **\~2,300** prisoners HRNK estimate **Active** Operating **Social Security** run by Puryong · North Hamgyong Kyohwaso No. 12, Chongori · 42.2086°N, 129.7556°E [Google Maps ↗](https://www.google.com/maps/@42.2086005,129.7555538,15z/data=!3m1!1e3) · Imagery © Esri, Maxar, Earthstar Geographics [ Open on the intel map](https://savenorthkorea.org/map#camps=camp-20)[ Puryong county](https://savenorthkorea.org/counties/puryong)[ How the camp system works](https://savenorthkorea.org/learn/north-korea-prison-camps) ## Satellite watch Captured 8 Oct 2026 Our own images of this 5.1 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 Kyohwaso No. 12, Chongori, 5.1 km across, captured 8 Oct 2026](https://savenorthkorea.org/img/sentinel/kyohwaso-12-chongori/2026-10-08.jpg) ![Sentinel-2 satellite image of Kyohwaso No. 12, Chongori, 5.1 km across, captured 3 Oct 2025](https://savenorthkorea.org/img/sentinel/kyohwaso-12-chongori/2025-10-03.jpg) 3 Oct 2025 8 Oct 2026 **Before: 3 Oct 2025** Cloud in this square: 0% Scene [S2B\_52TEM\_20251003\_0\_L2A](https://earth-search.aws.element84.com/v1/collections/sentinel-2-l2a/items/S2B%5F52TEM%5F20251003%5F0%5FL2A) [Open this day in Copernicus Browser ↗](https://browser.dataspace.copernicus.eu/?zoom=13&lat=42.20860&lng=129.75555&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\_52TEM\_20261008\_0\_L2A](https://earth-search.aws.element84.com/v1/collections/sentinel-2-l2a/items/S2B%5F52TEM%5F20261008%5F0%5FL2A) [Open this day in Copernicus Browser ↗](https://browser.dataspace.copernicus.eu/?zoom=13&lat=42.20860&lng=129.75555&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/) ## Why people end up here Kyohwaso hold people sentenced through the regular courts. Sentences are set in years, but hunger, beatings and heavy labor kill many before release. Common charges: - Illegal trading - Smuggling across the border - Watching foreign media - Trying to escape to China ## Sources - [**HRNK prison camp map** hrnk.org ↗ ](https://www.hrnk.org/) - [**Wikipedia** en.wikipedia.org ↗ ](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chongori%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 **Camp 22, Hoeryong** Political prison camp · Closed \~2012 ](https://savenorthkorea.org/camps/kwanliso-22)