Female dancer video circulating in N. Korea: defector

SEOUL, Nov. 2 (Yonhap) -- A video clip showing female dancers in skimpy costumes
performing to American music is being secretly circulated in North Korea via
CD-ROMs, a North Korean defector said Monday.
The video, obtained by Yonhap News Agency from the defector, who requested
anonymity, would not be considered obscene elsewhere in the world. But revealing
outfits and American music are both considered taboo in the conservative North.
In the clip, several groups of four women in crop-tops and thigh-length shorts or
skirts dance to fast disco music on a brightly-lit stage. Their outfits are made
of shiny gold, red and blue fabrics, and the dancers perform in a way that would
be considered lewd in North Korea -- raising their bare leg and shaking their
chests and hips. The video has captions giving the title of each song as it is
played, and includes "Aloha Oe," a Hawaiian folk song.
The defector said the dancers are members of the Wangjaesan Light Music Band, a
group that mostly performs for the upper class. The video provides no clue about
where, when or for whom the show was held. Applause is heard after each
performance, suggesting there is an audience in front of the decorated stage.
"I don't know when this show was staged, but this is a performance by the
Wangjaesan Light Music Band staged for a certain group of high-class people. It
is secretly being distributed and is getting popular among ordinary people," the
defector said. He said the clip was being circulated via computer CD-ROMs.
hkim@yna.co.kr
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