At the state dinner for the leaders of Korea and Brazil, Gabi, the Brazilian member of the K-pop girl group Blackswan, made a surprise appearance and drew attention. Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva greeted Gabi with a kiss on the back of her hand.
At the Korea-Brazil leaders' state dinner held at the Blue House State Guest House on the 24th, President Lula also posted a scene of greeting Gabi on his social media (SNS).
President Lula also uploaded a video set to Blackswan's "Cat & Mouse," which Gabi is part of. The video, which shows President Lula exchanging warm greetings with President Lee Jae-myung and the first lady, surpassed 5.6 million views.
Gabi's agency DR Music said, "Both Gabi and the agency were surprised by the sudden, unexpected invitation, but it was a great honor to be able to contribute to cultural exchange between Korea and Brazil."
Rosangela da Silva, the wife of President Lula, is known to be an avid fan of K-pop. Before the visit to Korea, da Silva said she was pleased that Gabi is from Brazil and, ahead of President Lula's official schedule in Korea, also arranged a meal with Gabi in Gangnam, Seoul, on the 22nd. Da Silva posted on her SNS a photo of herself and Gabi eating "Dujjonku" (Dubai jjondeuk cookie) together.
Gabi is a member of the K-pop girl group Blackswan, which is composed entirely of foreign members, and was born in Santa Catarina state, Brazil. Gabi was selected in 2022 after beating odds of 4,000 to 1 at the DR Music global audition. Gabi is currently the only Brazilian among active K-pop girl groups.