The Aquariums of Pyongyang: The North Korean Gulag

Natan Sharansky and Kang Chol-Hwan talked about their experiences living under authoritarian rule. After introductory remarks, Kansas Senator Sam Brownback moderated a discussion. Topics included the effects of pressure from other countries on totalitarian regimes, the most effective methods to champion human rights, and ways of communicating with the people of North Korea. Mr. Chol-Hwan’s remarks were translated by James Victory from the U.S. State Department.

Kang Chol-Hwan, sent to a rat-infested North Korean concentration camp at the age of nine, eventually escaping to South Korea, is the author of The Aquariums of Pyongyang: Ten Years in the North Korean Gulag, published by Basic Books. Natan Sharansky, former Soviet dissident, political prisoner and Israeli cabinet minister, is the author of The Case for Democracy: The Power of Freedom to Overcome Tyranny and Terror, published by Public Affairs.

The panel was part of the conference, titled “Freedom for All Koreans,” h close