Kim Jong Un's Revival of a Sinister Family Tradition
In 2015, just over three years after ascending as North Korea's third supreme leader, Kim Jong Un resurrected a sordid family tradition that remains shrouded in mystery today. The 42-year-old dictator ordered the creation of a new 'Pleasure Squad', continuing the legacy established by his grandfather, Kim Il Sung, the hermit kingdom's founder and Eternal President.
Unearthing the Truth Through Defector Testimony
Only through courageous defectors who have fled the regime and spoken out about North Korea's dark reality has the truth of this underground troupe been revealed. Girls are plucked from classrooms and must endure invasive medical tests to determine their virginity before being deemed worthy of a life of sexual servitude. In Kim family tradition, the virginity of selected partners holds particular importance because sexual acts supposedly allow the supreme leader to absorb the girls' 'ki' or life-force.
This practice dates back to the late 1970s when Kim Il Sung, at the peak of his power, ordered officials to scour the nation for attractive young women to serve as his personal singers and dancers. His son, Kim Jong Il, continued this tradition until his death in December 2011. Following a three-year mourning period, Kim Jong Un—confident in his iron-clad grip on power—began selecting a new generation of female companions for his pleasure.
Yeonmi Park's Harrowing Account
Born in Hyesan, Yeonmi Park was 13 when she escaped Kim Jong Il's brutal dictatorship by traversing the frozen Yalu River with her mother. After surviving trafficking in China, she eventually settled in South Korea and the United States, finding success through her 2015 memoir and popular YouTube channel with over a million subscribers.
Pyongyang has denounced the outspoken 32-year-old as a 'poisonous mushroom' and 'human rights propaganda puppet' for criticizing the regime. In a 2023 video titled The Regime Grooms Kindergarten Girls Into The Pleasure Squads, Park described how Kim Jong Un is treated 'like a God' in North Korea. She revealed that officials 'pick girls around the town, in their elementary school, in their kindergarten, and they groom them' to become masseuses, dancers, and singers obligated to perform sexual acts for the country's elite.
Park further alleged that officials 'visit every classroom' and 'even go to school-yards in case they missed someone that was pretty' in their sinister searches. She told The Star that Kim annually selects 25 virgin girls to entertain him personally after invasive medical exams. These women 'have to learn how to please these men—that's their only goal.'
The Three Divisions of the 'Pleasure Squad'
According to Park, the 'Pleasure Squad' is divided into three divisions: one specializing in massages, another in entertainment through song and dance, and a third prepared for sexual intimacy with the dictator and other men. She claims operatives select women based on social status and attractiveness, reserving the most appealing for Kim himself while 'less stunning members' cater to lower-ranking generals and politicians.
Park believes she avoided selection due to her 'family status', suggesting 'they eliminate any girls with family members that have escaped from North Korea or have relatives in South Korea or other countries.' However, she notes that many parents willingly allow recruitment, hoping their daughters might enjoy a better quality of life in a country where most citizens are extremely poor and lack basic necessities.
Life in the 'Pleasure Squad' is often short-lived, with women cast out in their mid-twenties. Some are married off to Kim's personal bodyguards, and rumors suggest the leader's wife was originally in the squad. Park describes the system as a family tradition, with Kim Jong Un preferring slender, taller, 'western-looking' women, while his father favored round-faced women who wouldn't dwarf his 5ft 2in stature. Kim Il Sung had 'more traditional taste' with his Pochonbo Electronic Ensemble.
Additional Defector Testimonies
In 2010, defector Mi-hyang told Marie Claire magazine she was 15 when uniformed men snatched her from her classroom. They recorded her background and asked if she had had sex before. After passing these tests, she spent a decade with Kim Jong Il as part of his Kippumjo, or 'Pleasure Squad', barred from contacting her family and warned that escape attempts were punishable by death. She claimed Kim never made sexual advances when she was a teenager but would hold her hand, believing he would have if she had stayed longer.
Lee So-yeon, a former military musician who fled to South Korea in 2008, claimed dancers and singers were forced to strip and provide sexual services at daily parties for the Central Politburo. She described this as a 'human rights infringement' where women 'have to serve with their bodies' and 'undress like objects.'
The 2018 Winter Olympics and Propaganda
At the 2018 Winter Olympics in Gangneung, North Korean cheerleaders performed a perfectly choreographed routine during a women's ice hockey match. Former member Han Seo-hee told the BBC that these women were referred to as an 'army of beauties' and underwent three months of ideological training to ensure loyalty. She said they were 'on the frontline of promoting the Juche ideology' and told 'we shouldn't forget our home country, not even for a minute.' In 2006, twenty-one members of cheering squads were sent to a prison camp for discussing what they witnessed in South Korea.
Kim's 'Pleasure Train' and Lavish Lifestyle
Reports indicate Kim's pleasure troupe extends beyond his residence to his armored 'Pleasure Train', used for diplomatic trips to China and Russia. According to a 2020 report by DimSum Daily, its 20 carriages feature pink sofas, a conference room, and a gallery where Kim enjoys fine meals. Young girls and women aged 13 to 25 entertain him on board, receiving 20 months of training in foreign languages and sexual servitude, with salaries between £1,500 and £3,000.
Defector Hee Yeon told The Mirror that while millions subsist on grass or bark, Kim enjoys £1,000 lunches including Bird’s Nest Soup and caviar. She witnessed classmates taken to become sex servants, learning to serve food, massage, and sleep with the dictator, knowing they could 'simply disappear' if they objected.
Regime Excesses Amidst Population Suffering
In 2022, Kim spent £122,000 importing women's fancy underwear as 45% of the population suffered undernourishment, according to a 2023 UN report. The elite also imported £2,675,000 worth of spirits and £203,000 in video games, while citizens faced systematic surveillance, public executions, and forced labor. A September 2023 UN report based on 300 witnesses found surveillance has grown more pervasive with new technologies, and punishments have harshened, including the death penalty for sharing foreign TV dramas.
Recent Military Developments
Kim recently unveiled 50 new launch vehicles for nuclear-capable short-range missiles, flaunting military capabilities ahead of a Workers’ Party congress. His sister acknowledged a South Korean minister’s apology regarding alleged drone incursions but said the North is bolstering border security. Relations with South Korea have deteriorated since 2019, with Kim discarding peaceful reunification for a hostile 'two-state' system. Experts note these weapons are designed to overwhelm missile defenses in South Korea, part of Kim's growing nuclear arsenal targeting US allies and potentially the US mainland.
