Thank you, Mr. Chair.
First of all, let me offer my sympathies for the loss of your family members and also acknowledge my solidarity with you and with all the great people of North Korea who have to endure the incredible harsh reality of living under a centralized militaristic dictatorship that's presently in place.
Your story was heart-wrenching. It was an incredible story. We have felt your anguish and your pain. It is by far one of the most tragic and incredible stories that has come before this committee.
We thank you for being here, and we thank you because we as Canadians and as parliamentarians know so little of what's taking place in North Korea. That centralized dictatorship is closed to the rest of the world, so we need people like you who are witness to the horrific stories that are taking place. Also, your testimony is so important here in Parliament because it allows you to shine a spotlight on the atrocities that are taking place. All Canadians are very appreciative of that information.
I think what we'll find when we leave this committee is that your testimony was the most important part of today's meeting. That's one of the reasons I think it was good that you were allowed to go on, because it was an incredible story. We don't even know where to begin to ask the questions.
You went on about your prison experiences. You've given a really good example of how life is, and it's appalling. But I want to know as well, in these prison camps, is there a separation of children, women, and men? Is there a specific type of treatment that is given to political versus non-political prisoners? Is everybody just put together in a camp? Could you describe that for us further? I'm sorry to have to take you through that pain again, but could you just describe to us more of the details? Canadians want to know generally what is happening because we know so little about that closed society.