Has North Korea had a genocide?

[Taverner]

I have heard and read stories about medical experiments on political prisoners, killings of entire families, torture, use of prisoners for martial arts practice - and a whole host of other stuff that would make Mengele wince.

But as they are a closed country, there's no way to know for sure.

Are there any estimates in terms of numbers?

Also do they know how many have been killed due to ag program famines (which seem to be a hallmark of every Communist system save Cuba)?

[WhiteTara]

1. Biafra occured in the late 70's

THe Nigerians "ethinic cleansing" on the intellectuals of their country. Of course the Pol Pot in Cambodia in the 70's; Rwanda in the 90's and Darfur of today. I'm sure I left out some very important genocidal activities.

[Taverner]

2. I meant in NK

Sorry - not clear

[notadmblnd]

3. The whole Africa thing

Darfur, Congo etc. I would call those genocides. Then there's Palestine with the Israelis being the oppresor and the Croatia area thing during Clinton's time. So yes, I would say there is genocide still going on. North Korea? I don't have any specific information on.

[Taverner]

4. I misworded my OP - I know there has been genocide

I just want to know if North Korea has had them

[Spike89]

5. Genocide = attack on an ethnic group

Words do mean certain things. Genocide is not simply wholesale slaughter. NK is about as homogenous a population as you'll find in the world. I suppose NK could engage in a suicidal genocide where they embark on a campaign to wipe themselves out.

[Taverner]

6. The Khmer Rouge committed genocide

And that was on their own people

[Posteritatis]

7. A few million from what I recall

It's not quite as, ah, effective as what Cambodia pulled off, but still pretty bad.

[TheMightyFavog]

8. One could say Japan did, when they had control of the Korean Penninsula

But that was years before the formation of North Korea.

[Taverner]

9. Nanking also comes to mind when discussing Japan

But I am wondering if North Korea has/had genocide - and I'd be surprised as all hell if they didn't

[derby378]

10. Not "genocide" per se - but it's plenty bad enough

Torture is indeed widespread in North Korean gulags, and there are even reports of prisoners being used as medical guinea pigs in chemical torture experiments. According to a DPRK guard who defected, one gulag has a special sealed Plexiglass chamber into which prisoners - sometimes entire familes - are herded, at which point an experimental nerve agent or some other deadly gas is introduced into the chamber. Scientists and military brass take note of the symptoms and how long it takes for everyone in the chamber to die.

But the country has been gripped with famine for many years, the result of a combination of inadequate centralized planning, political isolation, and abject poverty. That's enough to kill multitudes of North Koreans all by itself.