I Was Kim Jong Un's Girl : Life inside North Korea's Pleasure Squad

Summary

Key Points

• In North Korea, one's life is predetermined by their social class at birth, with future paths often decided by family lineage and for the state's benefit rather than individual choice. 0:00
• The 'Otgag' (pleasure squad) is a central department that scouts for attractive young women from across the country to serve the elite, a process the speaker experienced multiple times. 2:00
• Selection for the 'Otgag' involved rigorous physical and medical examinations, including checks for virginity, which were deeply humiliating and invasive. 4:08
• The speaker's family had mixed feelings about her selection, with some seeing it as a family honor and others as the loss of their daughter's life and future. 6:14
• To avoid being selected, the speaker intentionally scarred her eyelids, a act that led to severe punishment but ultimately helped her evade the 'Otgag'. 8:26
• The speaker's family suffered greatly under the regime; her aunt was sent to a political prison camp for empowering her employees, and her mother died in custody after being investigated for similar reasons. 10:46
• The speaker realized the hypocrisy of the regime after witnessing public executions, where citizens were punished for consuming foreign media while the elite engaged in decadent behavior. 12:53
• She believes that even high-ranking officials in North Korea live in constant fear of death and the destruction of their families, making their lives a form of slavery. 14:45
• The speaker eventually decided to defect to South Korea to escape the regime's oppression and prevent further loss of her family. 17:10
• She views North Korea as a place of deep personal connection and a homeland that needs to be changed, rather than a country she feels patriotic towards. 19:54