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R H Johnson

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Yong Song Camp - 'Pak's Palace'

After six days at head quarters the Koreans took Johnson by truck to 'Pak's Palace' - known to many as - 'Pak's Death House' at Yong Song. His captors kept him in solitary confinement for the first five days, questioning him regularly.

The camp's nickname came from its Commandant, Major Pak. Conditions in the camp were particularly bad whilst Major Pak was in charge. It was overcrowded and punishments were severe with food consisting of seaweed soup and millet. Most prisoners had dysentery and many died.

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Pak's Palace was the main Korean interrogation centre. From his arrival, Johnson endured three months of almost continuous interrogation. On his 21st birthday in the camp he came close to being shot for refusing to collect firewood.

Whilst Johnson was in the camp three men escaped. The camp guards brought them back and put the escapees in a hole in the ground for one month with little food and no sanitary facilities or opportunity to de-louse themselves. As a result one of them went mad and died soon after.