North Korean defectors make South laugh, cry and think on TV talent show

'I still feel uncomfortable when I have to make people laugh, or perform. I am still wedded to North Korea's stiff style,' says performer who was once part of secret musical troupe

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Photos: Life in North Korea

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Performers make the shape of the map of the Korean Peninsula as people in the stands holding cards create a scene depicting the reunification of the two Koreas at Rungnado May Day Stadium in Pyongyang, North Korea, on Aug. 6, 2007. The event is the largest choreographed gymnastics display in the world, with more than 100,000 dancers taking part. The stadium seats 150,000. (Elizabeth Dalziel / AP) Share Back to slideshow navigation
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Two women prepare to bow before the statue of late North Korean leader Kim Il Sung on Mansu Hill in Pyongyang, North Korea, on Aug. 5, 2007. (Elizabeth Dalziel / AP) Share Back to slideshow navigation
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A North Korean sailor poses for a snapshot Aug. 5, 2007, with Chinese tourists aboard the USS Pueblo in Pyongyang, North Korea. The spy ship was boarded and seized by North Korea in 1968 and its crew held prisoner for 11 months in a tense Cold War crisis. (Elizabeth Dalziel / AP) Share Back to slideshow navigation
People enjoy a day at the beach in Nampho, North Korea, about 30 miles southwest of Pyongyang, on Aug. 5, 2007. (Elizabeth Dalziel / AP) Share Back to slideshow navigation
A man looks down from the balcony of his apartment in Pyongyang, North Korea, on Aug. 5, 2007. (Elizabeth Dalziel / AP) Share Back to slideshow navigation
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Commuters make their way through a subway station in Pyongyang, North Korea, on Aug. 7, 2007. (Elizabeth Dalziel / AP) Share Back to slideshow navigation
A few vehicles and a lone cyclist travel along a road on the outskirts of Pyongyang, North Korea, on Aug. 5, 2007. Roads almost free of privately owned vehicles are a common sight in the country. (Elizabeth Dalziel / AP) Share Back to slideshow navigation