A dancer of the Ministry of Social Security Ensemble recently took her own life, Daily NK has learned.
Speaking on condition of anonymity, a Daily NK source in Pyongyang said Monday that a dancer in her 20s with the Ministry of Social Security Ensemble committed suicide earlier this month while on vacation in her hometown in Kowon County, South Hamgyong Province. She left a note behind explaining why she chose to take her own life.
Graceful at 170 centimeters and an archetypal beauty who stood out even among the ensemble’s dancers, she was repeatedly sexually harassed by one of the ensemble’s male officials.
She was also the subject of vicious rumors after her fellow dancers saw her emerge from the official’s office with her hair disheveled.
She had been forced into the situation against her will because of the official’s rank, but with rumors circulating in the company about her allegedly unseemly behavior, she felt so ashamed that she could not show her face, according to her fellow dancers.
She also suffered several misfortunes, including being transferred to another section when she suffered a serious injury during rehearsals. She was given permission to go to her hometown, ostensibly for treatment, but ultimately chose to end her own life.
“According to the dancer’s parents, she was depressed even after returning to her hometown, and the day after she arrived, she took her own life after writing a 10-page note,” the source said.
Fellow dancers criticize the woman’s decision to end her life
When her fellow ensemble members heard what happened, the group criticized the late dancer, saying that if she had explained what she had suffered, there would be organizations to solve these problems. They also said that leaving a note and killing herself was “not in line with the socialist system.”
The troupe burned the suicide note in front of the dancer’s parents with the help of Kowon County police.
However, rumors about the contents of the note spread within the troupe.
“In the 10-page note, she wrote exactly what happened to her at the hands of the officer, and word of what she wrote spread through the company by word of mouth,” the source said. “As the controversy grew, the company began an investigation while gagging the group to prevent word of the incident from spreading further. The male official is also being questioned and is unlikely to escape punishment.”
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