Idol group featuring North Korean defectors set to debut
British foreign media including the BBC reported on February 11 that “K-pop group 1VERSE, consisting of two North Korean defectors and multinational members from Japan and the United States, will debut this year.“
According to the announcement, YU HYUK, who grew up in Gyeongseong, North Hamgyong Province, defected to the South in 2013. He said he had lived like a flounder since he was young and that his biggest goal was to “survive every day without starving to death.“
Since then, YU HYUK briefly rapped on an EBS arts program in 2018, and Cho Michelle, CEO of Singing Beetle, a music production company, sent a love appeal to YU HYUK. CEO Cho Michelle is known for having worked at SM Entertainment as the head of planning, artist discovery, coaching, production, direction, and promotion.
YU HYUK said, “I want to communicate with people who have gone through the same difficulties as me. I want to give hope that even the underprivileged can have a big dream by showing North Koreans who dream big.”
Another North Korean defector joined the team about a year later, after YU HYUK, who took full-fledged training courses after being selected by Cho Mishell. KIM SEOK, who defected to the South in 2018, admitted to being exposed to K-pop through CDs and USB drives smuggled from China.
In addition to YU HYUK and KIM SEOK, 1VERSE also includes KENNY, MURATA AITO, and NATHAN.
Journalist: Shawn
Translator: Shawn
Source: BBC, SNS 1VERSE
