K-pop girl group member's attendance at Korea-Brazil state banquet draws online attention
Published: 26 Feb. 2026, 17:25
![Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, left, kisses Blackswan member Gabi, right, on the back of the hand during the Korea-Brazil state banquet at the State Guest House at the Blue House in central Seoul on Feb. 23. [SCREEN CAPTURE]](https://koreaseafood.online/data/photo/2026/02/26/970cb5d2-34a8-425d-9538-37f1dc4a4475.jpg)
Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, left, kisses Blackswan member Gabi, right, on the back of the hand during the Korea-Brazil state banquet at the State Guest House at the Blue House in central Seoul on Feb. 23. [SCREEN CAPTURE]
A video showing a K-pop girl group member making a surprise appearance at a state banquet for the leaders of Korea and Brazil is drawing attention online.
Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva posted an edited clip to his Instagram account on Tuesday featuring scenes from the state banquet held Monday at the State Guest House at the Blue House, central Seoul.
In the video, Lula greets President Lee Jae Myung and other officials before moving to meet Gabi, a member of girl group Blackswan.
Blackswan is a four-member K-pop girl group made up entirely of non-Korean members. Gabi is the only Brazilian currently active in a K-pop girl group.
The video shows Lula kissing the back of Gabi’s hand, while Lee looks on with a smile. As of Thursday morning, the clip had surpassed 1.2 million views.
![President Lee Jae Myung, right, and Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva shake hands at a state banquet at the Blue House in central Seoul on Feb. 23, after their summit talks. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]](https://koreaseafood.online/data/photo/2026/02/26/47d8815c-f172-4b09-adda-ac07154b2af0.jpg)
President Lee Jae Myung, right, and Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva shake hands at a state banquet at the Blue House in central Seoul on Feb. 23, after their summit talks. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]
Gabi’s invitation was reportedly linked to the Brazilian first lady’s interest in K-pop. The first lady is known to have shown strong interest in Korean pop music even before visiting Korea and was said to be pleased to meet Gabi, who is Brazilian.
First lady Rosângela Lula da Silva is also reported to have had a meal with Gabi in Gangnam District, southern Seoul, on Sunday and posted a photo with her on Instagram.
“We were surprised because we were invited to a completely unexpected occasion,” said an official from DR Music, Blackswan’s agency. “It would be an honor if we can contribute to cultural exchanges between Korea and Brazil in the future.”
This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY JANG GU-SEUL [[email protected]]
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
To write comments, please log in to one of the accounts.
Standards Board Policy (0/250자)