Author Michael Malice, who wrote Dear Reader: The Unauthorized Autobiography of Kim Jong Il, claims that Kim Jong Un's alleged death could lead to mass destruction of North Korea's notorious concentration camps.
"Kim Jong Un is the elite's key to holding on to power," Malice tweeted.
"The premise that if he dies they would simply back down to China and/or America or the forces of liberal democracy, though hopeful and promising, is not remotely close to a given."Malice says that there is a high likelihood that North Korea understands the repercussions they would face for their concentration camps. The prisoners in these camps, Malice says, are explicitly told that an invasion from U.S. imperialists would lead to their slaughter and destruction of the camps.
"This should be a source of enormous concern," he wrote.
"If in fact he were dead this might be one of their top priorities and an urgent matter of life-and-death for them i am very very worried about this."According to The Washington Post, experts believe that approximately 130,000 North Koreans are being held captive in four camps. Prisoners allegedly spend their days doing hard labor — including 20-hour days in mines — with very little food and shelter. In addition to the concentration camps, North Korea has "reeducation" camps that are used for lesser offenses, and prisoners reportedly served fixed terms.
The exact nature of life inside North Korea's concentration camps continues to be elusive, but a few escaped prisoners have shed light on the brutal prisons. As reported by GOOD Magazine, Kang Chol-hwan, who escaped from the Yodok concentration camp after 10 years, wrote of his experience in his book The Aquariums of Pyongyang. According to Kang, life in the camp was defined by desperation and executions, including public hangings. Another North Korea prison camp survivor claims that he was regularly stripped naked, hung upside down, and tortured with water and fire.
As The Inquisitr reported, military expert David Maxwell, a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, claims that Kim's death could destabilize the region and lead to military conflict. He also believes that the dictator's alleged passing could spark a wave of refugees into South Korea and the United States.
According to Maxwell, the possible military conflict would be significantly more destructive than the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
"Units of the North Korean People's Army are going to compete for resources and survival," he said, adding that this will create an "internal conflict" that could lead to a "widespread civil war."
