K-pop band 1VERSE debuts with two N. Korean defector members

SEOUL: With two out of five of its members North Korean defectors, the K-pop group 1VERSE is breaking new ground as it debuts its single album on Friday. The band represents an unusual convergence of backgrounds: North Korea-born rapper Hyuk and singer Seok join Nathan from Arkansas, Kenny from Los Angeles, and Aito from Japan.

While not the first K-pop act to include North Korean defectors — BE BOYS’ Hak Seong debuted earlier this year — the diversity of the group’s members add a rare dimension to the genre’s growing global diversity. The group debuts on Friday with their single album “The 1st Verse” under Seoul-based label Singing Beetle. Their title track “Shattered” features lyrics co-written by Hyuk and Kenny. “With members from different countries all coming together as 1VERSE, I just thought ‘we can do this regardless of background’ going forward,” said Aito, the group’s youngest member from Chiba, Japan.

Hyuk, who lived in North Korea’s North Hamgyong Province until age 12, defected to the South in 2013. His journey to K-pop stardom began while working in a factory in South Korea, where a chance encounter with the CEO of a music label eventually led to weekend rap lessons in Seoul. “I went to university but then things went bad. It was when COVID was pretty severe, and a bad incident happened, so I had no choice but to work at a factory,” he said.

Initially skeptical, Hyuk thought the invitation to become a pop star might be a scam. He recalled thinking: “I really have nothing right now, even if you rob me, not even dust would come out.” After a year of meetings where the music executive consistently bought him meals and encouraged his training, Hyuk joined the agency in late 2021.

Seok’s path was similarly unconventional. A former soccer player who started playing at 8 years old in North Korea, he defected in 2019. He declined to provide additional details, citing safety concerns. After arriving in South Korea, he briefly played for a semi-professional team before pursuing physical education studies. During weekend soccer games he was approached about an idol training program. “I was starting music for the first time, right? So I started with the mindset that if it doesn’t work out, I can just stop and try something else,” Seok said.

Both members’ experiences reflect harsh realities they left behind. Hyuk described spending eight to 10 hours daily collecting firewood as a child just to survive. “Where I lived, we had to collect firewood just to cook rice and survive day by day — it was essential,” he recalled. Hyuk didn’t have much access to music growing up. “Since I lived struggling every day, I lived so busily that I wonder if I even had time to listen to music - I didn’t have that luxury,” he said.

Seok had some exposure to K-pop in North Korea, listening occasionally to f(x)’s “LA chA TA” and Super Junior songs despite it being illegal in North Korea to listen to South Korean music. “I probably heard K-pop back in elementary school. But I couldn’t listen often since it was illegal,” he said. Experts and defectors say K-pop and other South Korean pop culture products have emerged as a challenge to North Korea’s leadership as they steadily gained popularity among the public.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has intensified campaigns since the pandemic to eliminate South Korean cultural influence. Nathan, from Arkansas, first encountered K-pop through his Texas-based cousins who were longtime fans. “I would kind of just pretend to be a hater, like urgh, K-pop. And then I just so happened to come across EXO’s ‘Growl’ music video on YouTube,” he recalled.

The group’s diverse backgrounds are reflected in their training, which includes courses on global citizenship. “We want to be inclusive of everyone’s history, everyone’s current situations back home,” Kenny explained.

Associated Press