SEOUL, South Korea (AP) \u2014 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 Friday.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
While not the first K-pop act to include North Korean defectors \u2014 BE BOYS\u2019 Hak Seong debuted earlier this year \u2014 the diversity of the group\u2019s members add a rare dimension to the genre\u2019s growing global diversity.<\/p>\n
The group debuts Friday with their single album \u201cThe 1st Verse\u201d under Seoul-based label Singing Beetle. Their title track \u201cShattered\u201d features lyrics co-written by Hyuk and Kenny.<\/p>\n
From the soccer field and a factory to stardom<\/p>\n
\u201cWith members from different countries all coming together as 1VERSE, I just thought \u2018we can do this regardless of background\u2019 going forward,\u201d said Aito, the group\u2019s youngest member from Chiba, Japan. <\/p>\n
Hyuk, who lived in North Korea\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n
\u201cI 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,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n
Initially skeptical, Hyuk thought the invitation to become a pop star might be a scam. He recalled thinking: \u201cI really have nothing right now, even if you rob me, not even dust would come out.\u201d <\/p>\n
After a year of meetings where the music executive consistently bought him meals and encouraged his training, Hyuk joined the agency in late 2021.<\/p>\n
Seok\u2019s 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. <\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was starting music for the first time, right? So I started with the mindset that if it doesn\u2019t work out, I can just stop and try something else,\u201d Seok said.<\/p>\n
Limited exposure to K-pop growing up<\/p>\n
Both members\u2019 experiences reflect harsh realities they left behind. Hyuk described spending eight to 10 hours daily collecting firewood as a child just to survive. <\/p>\n
\u201cWhere I lived, we had to collect firewood just to cook rice and survive day by day \u2014 it was essential,\u201d he recalled.<\/p>\n
Hyuk didn\u2019t have much access to music growing up. \u201cSince I lived struggling every day, I lived so busily that I wonder if I even had time to listen to music \u2014 I didn\u2019t have that luxury,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Seok had some exposure to K-pop in North Korea, listening occasionally to f(x)\u2018s \u201cLA chA TA\u201d and Super Junior songs despite it being illegal in North Korea to listen to South Korean music. \u201cI probably heard K-pop back in elementary school. But I couldn\u2019t listen often since it was illegal,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Gaining international traction<\/p>\n
Experts and defectors say K-pop and other South Korean pop culture products have emerged as a challenge to North Korea\u2019s leadership as they steadily gained popularity among the public. <\/p>\n
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has intensified campaigns since the pandemic to eliminate South Korean cultural influence.<\/p>\n
Nathan, from Arkansas, first encountered K-pop through his Texas-based cousins who were longtime fans. \u201cI would kind of just pretend to be a hater, like urgh, K-pop. And then I just so happened to come across EXO\u2019s \u2018Growl\u2019 music video on YouTube,\u201d he recalled.<\/p>\n
The group\u2019s diverse backgrounds are reflected in their training, which includes courses on global citizenship. \u201cWe want to be inclusive of everyone\u2019s history, everyone\u2019s current situations back home,\u201d Kenny explained.<\/p>\n
Seok expressed excitement about connecting with international fans, particularly in America. \u201cSince I came from North Korea, it\u2019s hard to see foreigners there. So I really wanted to see people from other countries,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
The group has already gained traction online. Seok described filming emotional video diaries during difficult early training days, which fans responded to with supportive messages. <\/p>\n
\u201cI filmed that diary video with somewhat emotional, slightly teary feelings. And I uploaded it to TikTok or YouTube, and fans sent me comforting letters,\u201d he said. \u201cAs soon as I saw the first line, tears came out and I was really touched.\u201d<\/p>\n
Hyuk acknowledged the attention their North Korean background generates while emphasizing the group\u2019s collective identity. <\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m very grateful that people are paying attention to us,\u201d he said. \u201cI think it\u2019s okay as long as it doesn\u2019t lean too much to one side … it\u2019s not just me but all our members are here too, it\u2019s a journey we\u2019re creating together.\u201d<\/p>\n
The group\u2019s debut single album is available on all major streaming platforms.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"SEOUL, South Korea (AP) \u2014 With two out of five of its members North Korean defectors, the K-pop…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":4056,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[28],"tags":[5810,5809,77,64,63,487,485,134,482,941,5812,136,5808,5807,5811,5813,1346],"class_list":["post-4055","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-music","tag-ar-state-wire","tag-arkansas","tag-asia-pacific","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-ca-state-wire","tag-california","tag-entertainment","tag-general-news","tag-japan","tag-kim-jong-un","tag-music","tag-north-korea","tag-pop-music","tag-seoul","tag-south-korea","tag-world-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4055","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4055"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4055\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4056"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4055"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4055"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4055"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}