South Koreans describe Girls’ Generation as the Goddesses of soldiers. Others call them “guntongryeong,” or the presidents of the military. This means that they have great influence on the morale of service members.

North Korea also has a morale-boosting girls’ troupe for its army. Can this North Korean troupe be considered a rival to South Korea’s Girls’ Generation? -- Probably not.

Aside from this troupe, the North has a beauty troupe that conducts activities aimed at promoting North Korea abroad, the New Focus, a Seoul-based online newspaper run by North Korean defectors, reported Saturday.

Members of the beauty troupe are “elite” entertainers whose status is above that of ordinary citizens or military personnel, according to the report. Created as part of the Pyongyang regime’s policy of ‘showing-off’, the troupe consists of “outstanding” beauties from across the country wearing world class makeup designs.

Just as members of the Girls’ Generation did, North Korea’s beauty troupe members were selected during childhood, and underwent extensive training programs, the New Focus reported.

Some of the beauty entertainers served as members of the North’s cheerleading squad during the 2002 Busan Asian Games held in South Korea.

The beauty troupe gives performances not only for military troops but also for members of the privileged classes, the newspaper stated.