Seoul’s Defector Girl Boxer Stars in Rare Triumph for Refugees

Choi Hyun Mi gathered with 17 other South Korean citizens on the evening of Feb. 24 as a full moon rose above Seoul. President Park Geun Hye chose the 22-year-old woman along with the others to celebrate the start of her five years as the nation’s 11th president. At midnight, as Park’s term began, they rang the iconic Bosingak bell.

For Choi, better known as “Defector Girl Boxer,” it was another milestone in her family’s escape from North Korea in 2004, Bloomberg Markets magazine will report in its July issue. Her father, Choi Young Choon, abandoned a successful trading business, a 330-square-meter (3,500-square-foot) house in the capital, Pyongyang, and a chauffeur-driven car to give Choi the freedom to pursue her talent.