Officially, North Korea denies it operates a secret work camp system, where those suspected of "wrong thought" are half-starved and worked to near death, usually for their entire lives.

However, reports have been trickling out for years that suggest this is a lie.

In March 2012, the book, "Escape From Camp 14" documented a fascinating account of the camps. Shin In Geun, the man behind that account, escaped the country, making an arduous journey to a South Korean embassy where he can apply for citizenship.

However, Shin wasn't alone. The Committee for Human Rights in North Korea has compiled the accounts of 60 escapees, of which there were 23,000 in South Korea by 2011.