North Korean defectors debut in new K-pop boy group

North Korean defectors Yu Hyuk and Kim Seok made their K-pop debut Friday as members of 1Verse (pronounced as “universe”).

The five-member group, which also includes members from Arkansas, Los Angeles and Japan, held a live showcase of “Shattered,” the title track of their EP “The 1st Verse.” Hyuk, who escaped North Korea at 12, co-wrote the song with Chinese American member Kenny to express his feelings about his father’s death in the North while he lived in the South since 2013.

Hyuk and Seok, both 25, are the next North Koreans to debut in K-pop after Be Boys’ Hak Seong. Factory work led to Hyuk’s discovery during the COVID-19 pandemic, though he initially doubted the legitimacy of his recruitment. Seok, on the other hand, was a former soccer player who defected in 2019 and was approached about idol training after briefly playing for a semi-professional team in South Korea. The group, managed by Seoul-based Singing Beetle, is planning a U.S. debut later this year.