Latest news with #1VERSE
Express Tribune
3 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Express Tribune
North Korean defectors join new K-pop band
A new K-pop boy band made their global debut on Friday with two members who defected from North Korea and an album that includes a song about the consequences of escaping one of the world's most repressive states. 1VERSE, pronounced "universe", is made up of five men in their 20s from North Korea, Japan and the United States, who go by their first names, Hyuk, Seok, Aito, Nathan, and Kenny. At midnight, the group performed a live-streamed showcase of their first EP The 1st Verse featuring three tracks, including the debut single Shattered. A video to accompany the song dropped later on Friday. Recorded earlier this year, it shows the group sporting make-up and slick hairstyles, dancing against a stroboscopic background. Yu Hyuk, originally from the northeastern county of Kyongsong in North Korea, has been living in South Korea since 2013. As well as enjoying the freedom to show off his talent to the world, the 25-year-old also appreciates being able to eat three meals a day. In North Korea, he started work at the age of nine and said he was sometimes forced into desperate measures to get food, eating spoiled rice or worse, and resorting to theft. "After I was caught stealing, I was beaten hard until I was bleeding. I was really hungry and instinctively I was thinking about survival," he told Reuters at the group's studio in the South Korean capital. North Korea has stepped up control over people's lives since the COVID-19 pandemic when all borders were sealed, and abuses such as executions, forced labour and reports of starvation continue, a UN official investigating rights in the isolated state told Reuters last month. Hyuk escaped North Korea as a child – fleeing to China and then across other international borders with the help of a broker arranged by his mother, who was already in South Korea. While he is happy with his new life, he recalls that it was a wrench to leave his home. "I was hungry and tired, but I was happy surrounded by the people I like which made it tougher for me to want to come here at first," he said. The song Shattered encapsulates his feelings when he learned about the death of his father in North Korea, he said. Kim Seok, the other North Korean defector in the group and also 25, used to live in a border town near China. He was exposed to K-pop by a friend who shared music videos on a portable media player, including Psy's 2012 smash Gangnam Style. Seok escaped with his father and grandmother when he was 20 years old. Reuters
Arab Times
20 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Arab Times
K-Pop group 1VERSE breaks new ground with North Korean defector members in its debut
SEOUL, South Korea, July 19, (AP): 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. 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 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. Seok expressed excitement about connecting with international fans, particularly in America. "Since I came from North Korea, it's hard to see foreigners there. So I really wanted to see people from other countries,' he said. 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. "I filmed that diary video with somewhat emotional, slightly teary feelings. And I uploaded it to TikTok or YouTube, and fans sent me comforting letters," he said. "As soon as I saw the first line, tears came out and I was really touched.' Hyuk acknowledged the attention their North Korean background generates while emphasizing the group's collective identity. "I'm very grateful that people are paying attention to us,' he said. "I think it's okay as long as it doesn't lean too much to one side ... it's not just me but all our members are here too, it's a journey we're creating together.'
Japan Today
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Japan Today
North Korean defectors make debut in new K-pop boy band
Members of K-pop boy band 1VERSE, including Hyuk and Seok who defected from North Korea, as well as Aito, Nathan and Kenny, perform their new single in front of a camera in Seoul, South Korea, May 21, 2025. REUTERS/Kim Soo-hyeon By Hyun Young Yi and Hyunsu Yim A new K-pop boy band made their global debut on Friday with two members who defected from North Korea and an album that includes a song about the consequences of escaping one of the world's most repressive states. 1VERSE, pronounced "universe", is made up of five men in their 20s from North Korea, Japan and the United States, who go by their first names, Hyuk, Seok, Aito, Nathan, and Kenny. At midnight, the group performed a live-streamed showcase of their first EP "The 1st Verse" featuring three tracks, including the debut single "Shattered". A video to accompany the song will drop later on Friday. Recorded earlier this year, it shows the group sporting make-up and slick hairstyles, dancing against a stroboscopic background. Yu Hyuk, originally from the northeastern county of Kyongsong in North Korea, has been living in South Korea since 2013. As well as enjoying the freedom to show off his talent to the world, the 25-year-old also appreciates being able to eat three meals a day. In North Korea, he started work at the age of nine and said he was sometimes forced into desperate measures to get food, eating spoiled rice or worse, and resorting to theft. "After I was caught stealing, I was beaten hard until I was bleeding. I was really hungry and instinctively I was thinking about survival," he told Reuters at the group's studio in the South Korean capital. North Korea has stepped up control over people's lives since the COVID-19 pandemic when all borders were sealed, and abuses such as executions, forced labour and reports of starvation continue, a U.N. official investigating rights in the isolated state told Reuters last month. Hyuk escaped North Korea as a child - fleeing to China and then across other international borders with the help of a broker arranged by his mother, who was already in South Korea. While he is happy with his new life, he recalls that it was a wrench to leave his home. "I was hungry and tired, but I was happy surrounded by the people I like which made it tougher for me to want to come here at first," he said. The song "Shattered" encapsulates his feelings when he learned about the death of his father in North Korea, he said. Kim Seok, the other North Korean defector in the group and also 25, used to live in a border town near China. He was exposed to K-pop by a friend who shared music videos on a portable media player, including Psy's 2012 smash "Gangnam Style". Seok escaped with his father and grandmother when he was 20 years old. Recent reports have suggested that Pyongyang is stepping up its crackdown on the consumption of South Korean culture, including a case where teenagers were sentenced to hard labour for watching K-pop, as well as suppressing South Korean speaking styles. Michelle Cho, producer and CEO of 1VERSE's label Singing Beetle, said she wanted to create a more authentic group in an industry often seen as picture-perfect. "Who doesn't love the story of someone from a humble background chasing their dreams, especially K-pop," she said. Despite their diverse backgrounds, the bandmates said they had plenty in common. "I mean isn't it fun? Like our group is just a unique type of global," said Kenny, who is Chinese American. While the group has drawn attention for having North Korean defectors, Hyuk hopes they will be judged by the quality of their work. "I want to become an idol that brings energy and the message that cheers up many people, that they aren't alone and there are even people like me." © Thomson Reuters 2025.
GMA Network
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- GMA Network
North Korean defectors make debut in new K-pop boy band
Members of K-pop boy band 1VERSE, including Hyuk and Seok who defected from North Korea, as well as Aito, Nathan and Kenny, perform their new single in front of a camera in Seoul, South Korea, May 21, 2025. REUTERS/Kim Soo-hyeon SEOUL - A new K-pop boy band made their global debut on Friday with two members who defected from North Korea and an album that includes a song about the consequences of escaping one of the world's most repressive states. 1VERSE, pronounced "universe", is made up of five men in their 20s from North Korea, Japan and the United States, who go by their first names, Hyuk, Seok, Aito, Nathan, and Kenny. At midnight, the group performed a live-streamed showcase of their first EP "The 1st Verse" featuring three tracks, including the debut single "Shattered". A video to accompany the song was also released. Recorded earlier this year, it shows the group sporting make-up and slick hairstyles, dancing against a stroboscopic background. Yu Hyuk, originally from the northeastern county of Kyongsong in North Korea, has been living in South Korea since 2013. As well as enjoying the freedom to show off his talent to the world, the 25-year-old also appreciates being able to eat three meals a day. In North Korea, he started work at the age of nine and said he was sometimes forced into desperate measures to get food, eating spoiled rice or worse, and resorting to theft. "After I was caught stealing, I was beaten hard until I was bleeding. I was really hungry and instinctively I was thinking about survival," he told Reuters at the group's studio in the South Korean capital. North Korea has stepped up control over people's lives since the COVID-19 pandemic when all borders were sealed, and abuses such as executions, forced labour and reports of starvation continue, a UN official investigating rights in the isolated state told Reuters last month. Hyuk escaped North Korea as a child - fleeing to China and then across other international borders with the help of a broker arranged by his mother, who was already in South Korea. While he is happy with his new life, he recalls that it was a wrench to leave his home. "I was hungry and tired, but I was happy surrounded by the people I like which made it tougher for me to want to come here at first," he said. The song "Shattered" encapsulates his feelings when he learned about the death of his father in North Korea, he said. Kim Seok, the other North Korean defector in the group and also 25, used to live in a border town near China. He was exposed to K-pop by a friend who shared music videos on a portable media player, including Psy's 2012 smash "Gangnam Style". Seok escaped with his father and grandmother when he was 20 years old. Seok, a member of K-pop boy band 1VERSE who defected from North Korea, speaks during an interview with Reuters in his room at the 1VERSE's label Singing Beetle in Seoul, South Korea, June 26, 2025. REUTERS/Kim Soo-hyeon Recent reports have suggested that Pyongyang is stepping up its crackdown on the consumption of South Korean culture, including a case where teenagers were sentenced to hard labor for watching K-pop, as well as suppressing South Korean speaking styles. Michelle Cho, producer and CEO of 1VERSE's label Singing Beetle, said she wanted to create a more authentic group in an industry often seen as picture-perfect. "Who doesn't love the story of someone from a humble background chasing their dreams, especially K-pop," she said. Despite their diverse backgrounds, the bandmates said they had plenty in common. "I mean isn't it fun? Like our group is just a unique type of global," said Kenny, who is Chinese American. While the group has drawn attention for having North Korean defectors, Hyuk hopes they will be judged by the quality of their work. "I want to become an idol that brings energy and the message that cheers up many people, that they aren't alone and there are even people like me." — Reuters
2 days ago
- Entertainment
K-pop band 1VERSE debuts with 2 North Korean defector members
SEOUL, South Korea -- 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. 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 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. Seok expressed excitement about connecting with international fans, particularly in America. 'Since I came from North Korea, it's hard to see foreigners there. So I really wanted to see people from other countries,' he said. 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. 'I filmed that diary video with somewhat emotional, slightly teary feelings. And I uploaded it to TikTok or YouTube, and fans sent me comforting letters," he said. 'As soon as I saw the first line, tears came out and I was really touched.' Hyuk acknowledged the attention their North Korean background generates while emphasizing the group's collective identity. 'I'm very grateful that people are paying attention to us,' he said. 'I think it's okay as long as it doesn't lean too much to one side ... it's not just me but all our members are here too, it's a journey we're creating together.' The group's debut single album is available on all major streaming platforms.
