The
team of personnel assigned to attend to Kim Jong Un’s personal needs are known
to receive special favor and high- ranking status in North Korean society simply
by virtue of their proximity to the great leader, Daily NK has learned.
A Daily NK reporter recently spoke
with a source in South Pyongan Province, who told us that people in these
positions–Kim Jong Un’s barber, tailor, typist, and masseuse, for example–are all tethered to the Cadres’ 5th Section. They don military uniforms and are referred to as
“royal guards,” a distinction typically reserved for
the Escort Command legion, [the unit tasked with guarding leader Kim Jong Un
and the Kim family].
A source in North Pyongan Province and a source in the nation’s capital, Pyongyang, corroborated this news.
According to the source, staff overseeing all aspects of Kim’s domestic and residential life are instilled with such an air of superiority that “they even
look down on Hwang Pyong So, director of the Korean People’s Army General
Political Bureau.”
Possible job placements span an array of fields, but all are directly related to the young leader’s personal
care. A dynamic roster of at least 30 individuals ready to fill positions in any of the given sectors is always available. Among the most coveted of the personal care positions is that of the young leader’s personal masseuse, described by the source as a beautiful young woman and takes home a salary and treatment equal to that of vice-ministers within the Central Party.
“People on this roster never know when they might
be called upon to start work. Because of that, they can’t even marry freely. However, only half of those on the waiting list will ever actually have a
chance to serve the leader,” she explained.
The selection process is rigorous, beginning with cuts at the provincial level until dozens of pictures of
healthy, high-ranking women are culled and passed on to the Cadres 5th Section
for final selections based on Kim Jong Un’s known preferences.
Such long odds prove little deterrent for hopeful prospects because “securing a position can transform an ordinary worker’s life overnight,” she explained, adding that despite having never spent a day in the military, “working for the leader automatically puts one on
par with soldiers.”
But despite their high rank, these simple
workers have never received any special training– like the Escort Command
envoy–for their work. “Just because somebody cuts Kim Jong Un’s hair he or she
is basically untouchable.” the source asserted.
However, as quickly as this privilege is conferred can it also be taken away. Kim Jong Un’s personal nurse, chef, and a host of others must get
daily health checkups to ensure they are free of contagious diseases. Even if
family members or these staff members come down with an illness they are forced
to leave their positions immediately.
“Following this forced retirement they must
sign a nondisclosure agreement promising not to reveal anything that they have
seen in their line of work, and are then sent back to where they originally
came from,” she explained.
As far as those on the outside peering into the world these positions open up, the source stated, “In the recent past, even if a young man put in 10 years with a front-line military unit, built up
a good reputation, and ate the same measly rations the whole time, he’d have
trouble moving up to the rank of a major. So when you look at the benefits
enjoyed by those under the Cadres’ 5th Section [in domestic and residential positions] they’re just beyond the pale.”
