[imText1]Kim Jong Il has held parties with his entourages since 1974. He used these parties to form his supporting group. Women who are involved in these parties entertain the invitees, whom we usually call in South Korea, the “pleasure group.”
Although there are many in South Korea who argue that information on these pleasure groups are false rumors, but their assertions are always proved wrong by the defectors’ testimonies of those who lived near by Kim Jong Il.
Their testimonies not only prove the existence of the pleasure groups but also how deeply what socialist call “decay of capitalism” (pleasure seeking culture) is embedded in the North Korean society.
According to Lee Han Young, Kim Jong Il’s wife’s nephew who was assassinated by North Korean spied in 1997, pleasure groups appear on the Wednesday and Saturday parties which Kim Jong Il hosts. Also, Shin Young Hee, a North Korea defector and a former dancer in North Korea who defected in 1995, said herself was in the pleasure group. Shin has already reportedly testified details of the pleasure groups based on her experience.
The Pleasure Groups Learns Tango, Waltz, Western Dances in Wien, Austria
Foreign press have also reported on the pleasure groups. The Austria’s weekly magazine Format in September 1999, reported, “Kim Jong Il’s pleasure group women are learning tango, waltz and other foreign dances in Wien, Austria.” This journal wrote six young women and one woman who direct them are attending Elmayer School of Dancing in Wien to learn western dances, and they are women of pleasure group who provide service to Kim Jong Il.
The pleasure group started in the early 1970s when Kim Jong Il formed groups to please Kim Il Sung. He selected pretty women from across the nation and stationed them in different villas. The pleasure groups for Kim Jong Il were formed (officially) in December of 1983, and such pleasure groups include performance group, comedy actors (play), duet groups (music).
Among such groups, there is one pleasure group Kim Jong Il favors the most. It is formed of dancers from Mansude Art Group. These women are the most beautiful dancers with nicest bodies in North Korea.
The pleasure group is supplemented randomly with Kim Jong Il’s demand. The possible candidates are all the girls of Art Expert Schools across the nation including Pyongyang, and their average age is 18. When the order comes down, it is delivered to Pyongyang city and provincial parties and cadre departments through the secretary office of Organization and Guidance Department. In order words, it is ‘Department 5 Candidate Selection Order” This is because Department 5 of the Central Party takes care of this business.
The government of North Korea distributes
Responsibility of the Department 5 of Organization and Guidance Department in Central Party
The candidates above all must have pretty face and neat and tidy feature. In each province, in preparation for the order to come down, select pretty and healthy girls from the art expert schools beforehand. It does not matter how artistically they are talented. When the order comes down, some are selected and sent above.
About 200~300 girls are selected in the first selection, then only 100 selected in the second selection are sent to Pyongyang Namsan Hospital for General Examination. The examination includes gynecology examination as well. Only 50 girls are selected in the final selection.
The fifty girls, with Kim Jong Il’s approval, received six month training. The “Satisfaction Group” learns about feast attendance and sexual service, courtesy and technical skills; the “Happy Group” leans about massage, ground pressure and other massaging skills; and the “Dance and Sing Group” learns about dance and songs of which they will perform in the feasts.
Especially the “Satisfaction Group” and the “Dance and Sing Group” receive strict training to perform dances along with costumes music and appearance of different regions according to the parties held every Saturday under the them of “Night of Liberty.” Parties such as “Night of India”, “Night of New York”, “Night of Tokyo”, and “Night of Persia”, and “Night of Paris” are held.
After the last training course, which is a visit to foreign countries for fifteen days, they are given second lieutenant of Escort Bureau, and become (in document only) members of People’s Military until age of 25.
Kim Jong Il’s pleasure group very much shows the social decay in capitalist societies of which the socialists often criticize. The dancers lift their legs to show off their garments and wear clothes that reveal their breasts.
Pleasure Seeking Mood Surpasses that in the Capitalist Societies
Kim Jong Il is known for enjoying abnormal sexual activities. The following is the Fujimoto Kenji’s testimony, formar Kim Jong Il’s cook, on the pleasure group.
This is what happened in the feast held at Shinchun 초대소. There were five girls from the pleasure group dancing disco. Kim Jong Il suddenly walked to them and ordered to take their clothes off.
“Take your clothes off!”
While the dancers started to take off their clothes, Kim Jong Il ordered them again.
“Take off brassieres and panties too!”
This time the dancers were really surprised, but since the order came from the Commander, they would no dare disobey. They looked shy but they took all their clothes off and danced naked. Then Kim Jong Il gave an order to cadres.
“You dance with them too”
He ordered me to dance too. Kim Jong Il ordered again.
“It is okay to dance but you cannot touch. Touching is stealing.”
With the help of Kim Jong Il, Fujimoto Kenji married a singer of the pleasure group. She was Um Jung Nyo, a singer of the Wangjaesan light music band.
Most of the pleasure group groups are married to high level officials, or body guards close to Kim Jong Il once they reach 25 years old to maintain the secret. Koh Young Hee, a woman who played the role of his later wife for the longest time is also from the pleasure group.
The pleasure group reside in the best apartments in the district of Botongkang in Pyongyang city, and receive high quality munitions and supplies such as those from Japan for free. Especially those who sleep with Kim Jong Il receive Omega watches and receives treatment equal to the department manager or more. When they get ill, they are treated at the Namsan Hospital where the vice department manager or more are treated.
Life as a Human, Truly Pitiful
Not only do North Korean women become the pleasure group, but also Russians, North European girls are “imported” for a period of time at Kim Jong Il’s demand. After a certain period, these girls are either passed on to unmarried high level military officials or returned home with wage paid in dollars.
Kim Jong Il has turned pretty and talented girls across the nation his personal play things for the past thirty years. Of course, the girls were provided with privilege and rights of which the common North Koreans can never enjoy, but as a human being, they certainly have a pitiful life.
Existence of the pleasure group will be considered as the most immoral and insulting experience in the historical evaluation of Kim Jong Il’s deeds. Kim Jong Il as a human will be much more criticized than as a dictator for such abnormal sexual acts.
