Recently, a video titled “The Shocking Selection Process of the Pleasure Squad: Do You Really Have to Show Your Naked Body to Be Chosen?” was uploaded to the YouTube channel operated by North Korean defector Han Song Yi.
Appearing in the video, fellow defector Kim Seo Ah claimed that she was selected as a candidate for the Pleasure Squad during her school years through a recruitment process conducted by North Korean authorities.
Kim recalled, “I was selected while attending school. Officials from the Central Committee came and chose students who were tall and considered attractive. I was one of those selected.”
She continued, “From the age of 17, I visited the Central Committee almost once a week. There wasn’t anything specific we did. The officials would mainly check our appearance.”
According to Kim, she was later taken to a hospital in Pyongyang along with 10 other women selected from across the country, where they allegedly underwent physical examinations and gynecological checkups.
“It was my first time ever visiting a gynecology clinic,” Kim said. “Ten women had to remove their clothes and undergo examinations in front of men.” She added that she felt extremely uncomfortable because the doctor conducting the examination was male.
Kim further claimed that after putting their clothes back on, they were taken to another room for additional physical evaluations. “I think there were about five men present,” she said. “They instructed us to turn around and face different directions while conducting the examination. They paid particular attention to areas such as the chest and hips.”
She also alleged that the Pleasure Squad still exists today. “I heard it disappeared for a while and then came back. I don’t think it could ever truly disappear,” she claimed.
Kim admitted that she was anxious about potentially being chosen. “My family worried, wondering if they might never see me again if I was selected,” she said.
At the same time, she revealed mixed emotions about the possibility. “I was afraid of not being able to see my parents, but I also thought that if joining the Pleasure Squad could allow my family to live a better life, maybe I should go.”
She further claimed, “If you’re selected, the term lasts 10 years. If you’re summoned and refuse to go, you could be expelled from Pyongyang.”
Kim also noted that the organization was not commonly referred to as the “Pleasure Squad” within North Korea. “In North Korea, we called it the ‘Department 5.’ I was shocked when I came to South Korea and heard people refer to it as the ‘Pleasure Squad,’” she said.
Han Song Yi added that many North Koreans view selection into such organizations differently because of the country’s isolation. “North Korea is a closed society where internet access is blocked and outside information is restricted. Being selected is often seen as becoming a ‘chosen woman.’ But when people arrive in South Korea and learn more about it, the reality can be very shocking,” she explained.
Sources: Nate