Freemuse Defending Artistic Freedom
Unconfirmed reports claim the famous North Korean pop singer Hyun Song-wol was among a number of musicians who were executed by firing squad on 20 August 2013, according to the South Korean newspaper Chosun Ilbo.
On 29 August 2013, South Korea’s largest daily newspaper The Chosun Ilbo reported that Hyun Song-wol had been executed by firing squad on the orders of the North Korean leader Kim Jong-un along with eleven other performers, including violinist Mun Kyong-jin, who had allegedly produced illegal pornographic videos.
According to a source quoted by the newspaper, “They were executed with machine guns while the key members of the Unhasu Orchestra, Wangjaesan Light Music Band and Moranbong Band as well as the families of the victims looked on.”
The paper reported that Hyon Song Wol was arrested on 17 August 2013 along with 11 other members of the orchestra and the Wangjaesan Light Music Band, another popular state-run music group in North Korea.
Hyon Song-wol was a North Korean pop singer who was formerly the vocalist for the Pochonbo Electronic Ensemble, a pop group which became well known in North Korea in the early 2000s.
Chosun – 29 August 2013:
Kim Jong-un’s Ex-Girlfriend ‘Shot by Firing Squad’
Kim Jong-un’s ex-girlfriend was among a dozen well-known North Korean performers who were executed by firing squad on Aug. 20, reports said Wednesday.
CNBC – 29 August 2013:
Death by firing squad for Kim Jong Un’s ex
The Independent – 29 August 2013:
The singer, the X-rated movies and the dictator: Kim Jong-un’s former lover ‘executed by machine-gun for appearing in porn films’
A member of a North Korean pop group and erstwhile companion of the country’s leader has reportedly been killed by machine gun
The Huffington Post – 29 August 2013:
Hyon Song Wol, Kim Jong Un’s Ex-Girlfriend, Reportedly Executed For Making Sex Tape
By Hunter Stuart
Hyon Song-wol biography in Wikipedia, the open encyclopedia:
wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyon_Song-wol
