(PCM) Many believed that the so-called “pleasure squads” (a group of young women hired to “entertain”) were a thing of the past after the death of North Korean dictator Kim Jong II back in December 2011. Now it appears that they are being revived and North Korea is currently recruiting young women to be part of Kim Jong Un’s new “pleasure squad”.
The women that used to perform for Kim Jong Un’s father were made to sign a pledge of secrecy and were given money and gifts for their efforts. Some received upwards of $4,000 for their services before returning back to their hometowns. The members of the “pleasure squad” were paid almost double what the women who worked as maids and house servants, many also received home appliances.
It is rumored that the “pleasure squads” were done away with because Kim Jong Un felt that they knew way too many of his father’s secrets and internal government affairs. The recruitment of a new squad indicates that the three year formal mourning period for Kim Jong II has come to an end.
The South Korean newspaper, Chosun Ilbo reports that Kim Jong Un felt the need to revive the squads after recovering from a bout of gout at one of his summer cottages during the summer of last year.
The “pleasure squads” in North Korea have existed since the country was founded and government officials were sent on a mission to select the prettiest women and send them to the dictator’s mansion. They were all expected to be available upon request anytime of day or night.
Many of the women selected were singers, dancers or maids and many were retired from the squad when they reached their twenties and then given away to military officers who were in search of a wife.