Written question asked by Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench) on Monday, 22 February 2016, in the House of Lords. It was due for an answer on Monday, 7 March 2016. It was answered by Baroness Anelay of St Johns (Conservative) on Monday, 7 March 2016 on behalf of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

North Korea: Prisons

Question: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether any projects funded by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea are within one hundred miles of Kyo-hwa-so camps, Kwan-li-so camps, Ku-ryu-jang centres, Jip-kyul-so prisons or Ro-dong-dan-ryeon-dae centres; and what steps they are taking through the British Embassy in Pyongyang to access prisoners in those camps.

Answer: We are not aware of any Foreign and Commonwealth Office funded projects that take place within one hundred miles of Kyo-hwa-so camps, Kwan-li-so camps, Ku-ryu-jang centres, Jip-kyul-so prisons or Ro-dong-dan-ryeon-dae centres. Together with other EU member states resident in Pyongyang, our Embassy has requested access to these camps on numerous occasions, and will continue to do so. However, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea continues to refuse access by independent observers.

Secondary information