Satirist upsets North Korean officials

A North Korean comedian was sent away to undertake hard labour in a coal mine midway through her performance, after she said something to offend the draconian regime.

Reports from the notoriously secretive country say Lee  Choon Hong made a 'slip of the tongue' on 'sensitive issues' and was bundled directly off to the Jikdong Youth Coal Mine.

A source told Radio Free Asia that the comedian was not given permission to return home to prepare or say goodbye to her family, forcing her daughter to postpone her wedding.

Lee, who is said to be popular among North Koreans for her satirical material employing a range of comic accents, had been entertaining workers on a 150,000-acre farm project in south-eastern Kangwon province. She had been ordered to perform there by the authorities.

The source said punishments such as Lee’s typically involve an evaluation period of about six months where she would have to be ‘extra careful’ in the mine.

Lee previously worked for the propaganda squad of a military unit, and had been chosen to join former leader Kim Jong Il’s Entourage of Delight – a troupe of entertainers he kept for his personal pleasure – during the Eighties and Nineties.

Published: 7 Aug 2013