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!”