North Korean comedian sent to do hard labour in a coal mine after making a 'slip of tongue' about regime during performance



Lee Choon Hong was performing for farm workers in Kangwondo Province

Sent to Jikdong Youth Coal Mine after commenting on 'sensitive issues'

Comedian, who performed for late dictator Kim Jong Il, is talented mimic

Typical hard labour sentences under regime last a minimum of six months



A North Korean comedian was sent to do hard labour in a coal mine midway through her performance after she made a ‘slip of the tongue’ about the country's draconian regime.

Lee Choon Hong, a popular comedian known for satirising and mimicking people in North Korean society, was performing for workers on a vast farm project ordered by leader Kim Jong Un when she commented on 'sensitive issues', it was reported.

The comedian was immediately taken off and sent to the Jikdong Youth Coal Mine, without even having a chance to say goodbye to her family, according to local reports in the notoriously secret country.

Lee Choon Hong was performing for workers at a farm project ordered by leader Kim Jong Un, pictured, when she commented on what was described as 'sensitive issues' The comedian was performing in Sep'o in North Korea when she was interrupted and taken to Sunchon

It is not known how long Lee will be held for, but a typical punishment is likely to involve a six-month evaluation period during which she would be observed at work in the mine before a decision to release her was made.

Lee, who had been ordered by authorities to entertain the workers on a 150,000-acre pastureland farm project in Sep'o in Kangwondo Province, was doing her act when she made what was described as a 'sensitive comment'.

A source told Radio Free Asia : 'She had a slip of the tongue while giving a performance for the workers at the Sepo reclamation project site'.

They added: 'She was sent straight to the city of Sunchon in South Pyongan province to carry out reform work at the Jikdong Youth Coal Mine', and said she had had to postpone her daughter's wedding as a result.

What the comedian said has not been reported, but it is said to be the second time she has upset authorities in North Korea - she was reportedly sent to do reform work in the mid-2000s after 'misspeaking'.

Lee, who is known for being talented at impersonating people's voices, frequently performed for the late dictator Kim Jong Il, and was chosen to join his Entourage Of Delight in the 1980s.

Life under the regime of the diminutive dictator with big ambitions is tough and regimented, and anyone stepping out of line can expect to be punished.



Life in Kim Jong Un's regime is joyless and regimented - here soldiers march past the dictator in a show of military might



