The N.Korean defectors turned K-pop idols of 1Verse

PARIS: Originally, K-pop groups were first and foremost made up of South Koreans. But in recent years, this cultural industry has been enriched by talent from beyond the country’s borders.

These include Lisa, the Thai singer of BlackPink, as well as Yu Hyuk and Kim Seok, two North Korean defectors and members of the boy band 1Verse.

Even before its members take their first steps on stage, the 1Verse boy band is already causing a stir. This K-pop group is making history by including two North Korean artists among its members – a major first.

Yu Hyuk and Kim Seok are both from North Korea, but their backgrounds are very different.

Yu Hyuk grew up very poor in Kyongsong province, in the northeast of the country. He began working at the age of seven to support his family. He sometimes stole cement to sell to the highest bidder, or begged in the street.

“We were essentially beggars who happened to have nothing else but a house,” Yu Hyuk told the Wall Street Journal.

Kim Seok had more luck in life. He grew up near North Korea’s border with China, in a wealthier family.

Both young men left their homeland in the hope of a better life. Like them, tens of thousands of North Koreans have fled to South Korea since the peninsula was divided by war in the 1950s.

Most defectors do so via China and then a third country such as Thailand. Yu Hyuk crossed three different countries before reaching Seoul, a journey that lasted a year and a half, according to the Wall Street Journal.

Following in the footsteps of BTS

Yu Hyuk discovered K-pop when he arrived in South Korea. His compatriot, Kim Seok, had discovered this musical genre during his youth in North Korea thanks to USB keys and SD cards smuggled into the country, reports the BBC. At the time, he was running the risk of heavy sanctions, as the consumption of South Korean content was formally forbidden by the Pyongyang regime.

Yu Hyuk and Kim Seok joined 1Verse thanks to Michelle Cho, CEO of the independent label Singing Beetle. They underwent months of intensive training to learn how to sing, dance and rap.

Unlike the other two members of their group, Aito and Kenny, Yu Hyuk and Kim Seok had never taken singing or dancing lessons in their native country. Michelle Cho told the BBC that they were like “a blank canvas,” understanding nothing at all about pop culture.

Now that their training is complete, Yu Hyuk and Kim Seok are getting ready to make their musical debut alongside their bandmates, Aito and Kenny.

1Verse is preparing the release of its first album, in the hope of conquering the US market, one of the biggest export markets for Korean pop.

But competition is fierce in the industry, with new K-pop groups launching every year. Their aim is to follow in the footsteps of BTS or Blackpink.

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