Kang Chol-hwan is a North Korean defector and former inmate of the notorious Yodok concentration camp.
In 2001 he published The Aquariums of Pyongyang, an account of his time in Yodok camp and his family’s experiences of oppression in North Korea. He met President George Bush and UK Foreign Secretary Jack Straw to discuss North Korea policy soon after.
As of 2022, he is Chairman of the North Korea Strategy Center, a defector-led NGO and advocacy organisation that aims to provide a platform for authentic North Korean voices.
