Visual investigations

Combining digital modelling, memory-based diagrams, survivor testimony, and satellite imagery to find truth in the DPRK

North Hamgyong Provincial MPS Holding Centre

Access  to the DPRK and its penal system is forbidden. Our visual investigation used digital modelling, memory-based diagrams, survivor testimony, and satellite imagery to reveal the internal layout of North Hamgyong Provincial MPS Holding Centre in Chongjin, the third largest city in North Korea. This is the first time anyone outside the DPRK  has seen inside this penal facility. Our findings confirmed widespread and systematic acts of torture and ill-treatment, providing strong evidence that North Korea is violating its international obligations.

Onsong County MPS Detention Centre

Our inaugural visual investigation for the DPRK was the first of its kind globally. We examined  Onsong County MPS Detention Centre, situated in North Hamgyong Province, less than a mile from the Chinese border. This facility detains  North Koreans forcibly repatriated from China, with a significant number of women among them. Our investigation revealed serious violations of international human rights law, all of which are  documented in the North Korean Prison Database.