The reality of the North Korea pleasure squad is way darker than the tabloid headlines suggest. Honestly, when people hear the term "Pleasure Squad"—or Kippumjo in Korean—they usually picture some bizarre, Bond-villain harem scenario. It’s a sensationalized image that filters through Western media, often blurring the line between fact and hyper-fixated urban legend. But if you dig into the testimonies of high-level defectors like Kenji Fujimoto or Jang Jin-sung, a much more clinical, systemic, and frankly tragic picture of state-sponsored exploitation emerges. It isn't just about "pleasure" in the way we use the word. It's about a regime using human beings as living symbols of absolute loyalty and biological purity.
Basically, the Kippumjo is a collection of groups—roughly 2,000 to 4,000 women—tasked with providing entertainment, medical massages, and sexual services to the top brass of the Workers' Party of Korea. It started under Kim Il-sung in the late 1970s. Since then, it’s evolved under every successor.
The Recruitment Process Is Terrifyingly Methodical
You’ve probably heard that the regime just snatches girls off the street. It’s actually more bureaucratic than that. It’s a government program. Every year, officials from the Central Committee's Department 5 (the "Selection Department") visit schools across the country. They aren't looking for volunteers. They are looking for "purity."
Criteria are strict. Girls are usually recruited between the ages of 13 and 15. The recruiters check for physical height—usually requiring candidates to be over 160cm—and a flawless complexion. No scars. No blemishes. Even a small surgical scar can disqualify a candidate because, in the eyes of the Kim family, these women must represent the "unblemished" nature of the state.
They also undergo rigorous medical exams. These are invasive. This is where the term "pleasure" starts to feel incredibly misleading. These young women are subjected to pelvic exams to ensure they are virgins. Their family backgrounds (Songbun) are checked back multiple generations. If a distant cousin once said something bad about the party, the girl is out. It’s a system where your body is a state asset before you’ve even finished middle school.
Life Inside the Inner Circle
Once selected, the training begins. It isn't just about looks. Some are trained in traditional dance or singing. Others are taught "medical" skills, specifically the types of massage Kim Jong-il was known to favor for his health.
The groups are generally split into three "ranks":
- The Manjokjo (satisfaction group), who provide sexual services.
- The Haengbokjo (happiness group), who provide massages and physical therapy.
- The Gamu-jo (singing and dancing group), who perform at the infamous "No-Limit" parties.
Life is isolated. You live in high-end compounds. You eat food the rest of the country can't even dream of. But the price is total surveillance. You don't see your family. You don't have a boyfriend. You are "the General's" property.
The Parties and the Reality of Kim Jong-il
Most of what we know about the North Korea pleasure squad during the 90s and 2000s comes from Kenji Fujimoto. He was Kim Jong-il’s personal sushi chef for years. He described a world of staggering decadence. While the North Korean people were literally starving during the "Arduous March" famine, the elite were hosting banquets that lasted until dawn.
Fujimoto recalled one specific incident where Kim Jong-il ordered members of the squad to dance to American disco music—topless. He told them they could dance, but "don't touch." It sounds like a scene from a movie, but it highlights the power dynamic. These women weren't just entertainers; they were props used to demonstrate the leader’s absolute control over everything, including the very dignity of his subjects.
It's sort of a psychological game. By involving his generals in these parties, Kim ensured their complicity. If you’re drinking expensive Hennessy and watching prohibited entertainment with the leader, you’re tied to him. You’re part of the sin. You can’t betray him because you’re just as "guilty" as he is.
What Changed Under Kim Jong-un?
When Kim Jong-il died in 2011, things changed. Sorta.
Initial reports suggested that Kim Jong-un actually disbanded his father’s North Korea pleasure squad. Many of the women were sent back to their villages with gifts of appliances and cash. Some people thought this was a sign of a "modern" leader who didn't need the old ways.
That didn't last.
By 2015, reports from South Korean intelligence and defectors indicated that a new recruitment drive was underway. Kim Jong-un apparently wanted his own squad—younger, taller, and more in line with his specific tastes. The recruitment age reportedly stayed in the mid-teens. The cycle just reset. It shows that the Kippumjo isn't just a quirk of an individual leader; it’s an institutional pillar of the Kim dynasty. It’s a way to reward loyalists and satisfy the ego of the man at the top.
Misconceptions We Need to Address
One big myth is that these women are all "prostitutes." That’s a massive oversimplification that ignores the coercive nature of the state. In North Korea, "No" isn't an option. If the state picks you, you go. If you refuse, your family could face political consequences. It’s a form of human trafficking managed by a sovereign nation.
Another misconception is that their lives are glamorous. Sure, they have clothes and food. But there is a "shelf life." Most women are retired by age 25. What happens then? Usually, they are married off to high-ranking military officers or party officials. It’s a weird kind of "retirement" where they are still kept within the elite circle to ensure they never talk about what they saw. Their silence is bought with a comfortable life, but they are never truly free.
Why Does This Even Exist?
It’s about "Life Force" and "Longevity." There’s a persistent belief in certain circles of the North Korean leadership—rooted in old, distorted interpretations of traditional medicine—that being surrounded by young women can physically rejuvenate an aging leader. Kim Il-sung was obsessed with living to be 100. He had a whole longevity institute dedicated to him. The Kippumjo was partly seen as a "health" requirement.
Realities for Defectors
When these women manage to escape—which is incredibly rare—the trauma is profound. Most defectors who talk about the North Korea pleasure squad do so under deep anonymity. To admit you were part of the squad is to carry a social stigma in both North and South Korea.
Jang Jin-sung, a former North Korean state poet who had access to these circles, wrote about this in his memoir Dear Leader. He noted that the girls were often selected because of their beauty, but their beauty became their prison. They were "The Gift." That’s the actual term often used. You aren't a person; you are a gift from the leader to his subordinates, or a gift from the state to the leader.
The Global Reaction
The UN has looked into this. The 2014 Commission of Inquiry on Human Rights in the DPRK documented various forms of sexual violence and state-sponsored exploitation. But because the country is a "black box," getting definitive, real-time data is nearly impossible. We rely on satellite imagery of the compounds where they live and the brave souls who get across the Tumen River.
It’s easy to treat this like a "weird North Korea" story. But it's actually one of the most organized systems of state-mandated sexual exploitation in the world. It’s not a joke. It’s not a meme.
Actionable Insights and Reality Checks
If you are researching the North Korea pleasure squad, it is vital to separate the "shock factor" from the humanitarian crisis. Here is how to navigate the information:
- Check the Source: Be wary of sensationalist tabloids. Focus on reports from organizations like Human Rights Watch, the UN, or reputable defector-led outlets like Daily NK.
- Understand the Language: Look for the term Kippumjo or Gippumjo. Most academic or serious humanitarian reports will use the Korean name rather than the English "Pleasure Squad."
- Acknowledge the Scale: This isn't just a few dozen people. It's a logistical operation involving thousands of staff, from doctors to trainers to security guards.
- Look Beyond the Sex: Recognize that this is a system of total control. It’s about music, dance, and "well-being" just as much as it is about sexual services. It is a holistic tool of the dictatorship.
- Focus on the Human Cost: Remember that the women involved are victims of a system they cannot escape. Their "privilege" is a thin veneer over a life of forced service.
The Kippumjo remains one of the most closely guarded secrets of the Pyongyang elite. It serves as a reminder that in North Korea, even the most private aspects of human life—intimacy, art, and youth—are entirely subservient to the state. Knowing the difference between the tabloid version and the bureaucratic reality is the first step in understanding the true nature of the regime.