North Korean defector musician Park Seong-jin revealed the story of how he was sentenced to death after singing a South Korean song.
The episode aired on KBS 2TV on the afternoon of the 9th and depicted Lee Soon-sil's struggles to sing on the stage of the Unification Echo band.
That day, Lee Soon-sil, after receiving harsh criticism during the audition, called in even transaction staff and taught them North Korean-style clapping and cheering methods. Kim Sook's passionate remark was, “Isn’t that too exaggerated? Won't the transaction be cut off?”
While Lee Soon-sil was nurturing her dream of singing, musicians gathered for the performance, including North Korean defector Park Seong-jin.
Park Seong-jin was asked about the reason for his defection. He revealed, “I sang at a friend's brother's wedding, where officials were drinking and asked me to sing a rotten song. In fact, I didn’t even know the title. It was 'Chilgapsan' by Ju Byeong-seon. After singing that song, I was confined for over 40 days by the Ministry of State Security.”
He continued, “Have you heard the saying about a 1-square-meter prison? You can't straighten your back in there. After about 40 days, your ankle bones start to rot and become mushy,” explaining that he was sentenced to death there. He went to the interrogation room, where they told him never to sing Yanbian songs again, shocking listeners. Although he was sentenced to death, they changed the charges.
Park Seong-jin said, “I was sent from Pyongyang to Hwanghae-namdo Taetan. It’s close to South Korea, so there are really many leaflets. That’s when I realized that what I learned was a lie. That became the reason for my defection.”
[Photo] Captured from KBS 2TV broadcast.
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