---
title: "Kyo-hwa-so No. 4, Kangdong: North Korea Prison Camp Dossier | Save North Korea"
description: "Kyo-hwa-so No. 4, Kangdong (Prison (kyohwaso)): Operating (per HRNK). Located in Pyongyang City. Also transliterated as Gangdong, Kyo-hwa-so No. 4, Kangdong is located in Chael-kol on the eastern outskirts of Pyongyang close to South Pyongan Province.  to 4,000 Type of prisoners: Men, civilian and military offenders, political prisoners Type of Labor: Limestone and cement production Detailed analysis of Kyo-hwa-so No. 4, Kangdong can be found in this 2019 HRNK report: https://www.hrnk.org/uploads/pdfs/Bermudez_Kangdong_FINALFINAL.pdf"
url: "https://savenorthkorea.org/camps/kyohwaso-4-kangdong"
language: en
translations:
  en: https://savenorthkorea.org/camps/kyohwaso-4-kangdong
  ko: https://savenorthkorea.org/ko/camps/kyohwaso-4-kangdong
  ja: https://savenorthkorea.org/ja/camps/kyohwaso-4-kangdong
  zh-Hans: https://savenorthkorea.org/zh/camps/kyohwaso-4-kangdong
---

[Prison camps](https://savenorthkorea.org/camps) · Pyongyang City

Prison · kyohwaso 

# Kyo-hwa-so No. 4, Kangdong

4호 강동 교화소

Kyohwaso No. 4 in Kangdong County, east of Pyongyang, houses approximately 1,000 inmates engaged in glassmaking, pottery, and ceramic manufacturing under armed supervision.

**\~1,000** prisoners HRNK estimate 

**Active** Operating (per HRNK) 

**Social Security** run by 

Kangdong · Pyongyang

Kyo-hwa-so No. 4, Kangdong · 39.0089°N, 126.1530°E [Google Maps ↗](https://www.google.com/maps/@39.0089107,126.1529938,15z/data=!3m1!1e3) · Imagery © Esri, Maxar, Earthstar Geographics 

[ Open on the intel map](https://savenorthkorea.org/map#camps=camp-19)[ Kangdong county](https://savenorthkorea.org/counties/kangdong)[ How the camp system works](https://savenorthkorea.org/learn/north-korea-prison-camps)

## Who is held here

- Men
- Civilian and military offenders
- Political prisoners

## Forced labor

- Limestone and cement production

## Also known as

- Gangdong

## 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/)
- [**HRNK satellite report (2019)** hrnk.org ↗ ](https://www.hrnk.org/uploads/pdfs/Bermudez%5FKangdong%5FFINALFINAL.pdf)
- [**UN Commission of Inquiry (2014)** ohchr.org ↗ ](https://www.ohchr.org/en/hr-bodies/hrc/co-idprk/commission-inquiry-on-h-rin-dprk)