The K-pop industry witnesses North Korean artists in a boy band for the first time |

K-pop culture has imprinted the world of music with an indelible mark of sheer talent and skills. However, the world has only seen artists hailing from South Korea, such as BTS, Seventeen, Twice, and many more. Korean music has extended far beyond the boundaries of their country, making international fans groove over their beats. However, the world has now seen a boy band that includes the defected members of North Korea.
1Verse (pronounced as Universe), the boy band, consists of five members: Hyuk and Seok, who are North Korean artists, Nathan and Kenny, who were born in the United States, and Aito, from Japan.
Hyuk was unfamiliar with K-pop. However, his talent led him to become one of the most talented artists, as described by his music producer, Michelle Cho. While the singer thought that she was ‘cheating’ him at first, he realized later that Cho was investing too much time and effort to be called cheating.
What’s the background of Yu Hyuk – the North Korean defector?
Yu Hyuk, the 25-year-old artist, used to live with his father and grandmother after his parents split up when he was four years old. Further, he was asked to accompany his mother to South Korea, but he refused to shift because Hyuk wanted to live with his father. However, his father was unwilling to work, and his grandmother was not able to work due to health concerns, leading to his family becoming poor, according to the BBC.
When the singer was nine years old, he had to beg for their livelihood in the North Korean province near the borders of China and Russia. Sometimes, he used to help out the soldiers with errands while also selling foraged mushrooms.
In 2013, Hyuk’s father encouraged him to cross the border, which he did, and a few months later, he joined his mother in South Korea. While he struggled with his studies, he discovered his love for writing.
The group ‘1verse’ hopes to debut this year in the United States and would gladly perform in North Korea someday so that Hyuk would make his fellow countrymen listen to his songs.