Escape from Camp 14

Between 150,000 and 200,000 people are held in North Korea’s political prison camps. These camps have lasted twice as long as the Soviet gulags, and only a handful of people have ever managed to escape. Shin Tong-hyeok is one of them.

Shin was born in Kaechong, a labor camp for political prisoners and their descendants, also known as Camp 14, and knew nothing of civilized life. He was raised by camp guards to be a snitch, he saw his own mother as a rival for food, he witnessed the execution of his family—and he accepted it all as normal… until he escaped. First from the camp, and then from North Korea.

In “Escape from Camp 14,” renowned American journalist Blaine Garden tells the story of Shin’s life. It is a harrowing yet gripping tale of courage, resilience, and survival, and most importantly, an incredible escape from the most repressive totalitarian state in the world.

The book is an international bestseller and has been translated into 27 languages.