South Korea envisions a building boom in the North. But Pyongyang still relies on ‘forced labor’ brigades.
SEOUL — When Lee Oui-ryok was accepted as a 17-year-old into North Korea’s August 28 work brigade in early 2006, his orphanage celebrated with flowers, speeches and cheers.
This is a chance at redemption, he thought. His father had been sent to a prison camp, and his mother had fled the country when he was 8.
Lee saw the work brigade as a path toward possible membership in the Workers’ Party and restoring his name in the eyes of North Korea’s leadership. ......
[Source: Washington Post]
