By Amanda Bibbins
Staff Writer

Last week, North Korea issued its own report on the status of human rights in its country, in response to a United Nations report critical of the country’s human rights abuses.

North Korea’s recent 50,000-word report outlined how “popular masses [in North Korea] enjoy genuine human rights,” running contrary to the 400 -page report published by the United Nations earlier this year.

The UN report, published in February, details the torture political prisoners endure in camps established across the country. These labor camps (called kwan-li-so), most of which are kept secret, were accused of depriving detainees of sleep, beating detainees with iron rods or sticks, or forcing detainees to sit or stand for hours on end.

It was reported in the UN’s Commission of Inquiry that between 80,000 and 120,000 prisoners remain in these camps, their existence ignored and their chances at justice slimming.