‘I feel proud’: Seoul celebrates North Korean escapees with first Defectors’ Day | NK News
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September 28, 2026Sep 28, 2026

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‘I feel proud’: Seoul celebrates North Korean escapees with first Defectors’ Day

Escapees gather to sing, dance and showcase businesses at joyful event, as Yoon pledges support for defector community

On a sweltering hot day in Seoul, an all-female group of North Korean singers dressed in glittering dresses sang the famous DPRK tune “Glad to Meet You” to an audience of hundreds, in the characteristic vibrato of the music they grew up with.

“Comrades and brothers, it is nice to meet you like this. / I like hugging you and laughing, I like hugging you and crying,” the singers warbled, making synchronized dance steps. “Oh oh oh, it’s nice to meet you!”

The performance was part of celebrations for South Korea’s first-ever North Korean Defectors’ Day on Sunday,