Seoul, South Korea
CNN
—
In a quiet corner of Seoul’s Hyuga Cafe, a warm, honey-toned space nestled in a building that once served as a dormitory for K-pop megaband BTS, two young men sip iced Americanos and dream of becoming superstars.
At a distant table, tourists sip lattes and mutter to themselves, unaware that they’re sitting next to an upstart record company hoping to make K-pop’s next big hit.
Seok and Hyuk, members of the newly debuted group 1VERSE (dubbed “Universe”), are reserved and mostly reluctant to talk about them being anything more than trainees and trying for something big. But their story is unlike any other in K-pop history.
Both are North Korean defectors who have become highly trained K-pop dreamers, hoping to follow in the footsteps of K-pop megastars such as BTS and BLACKPINK, who have taken K-pop worldwide in recent years, reaching No. 1 on the US Billboard charts and building multibillion-dollar fan empires.
The 25-year-olds have blazed a trail that speaks to the resilience of individual artistry under extraordinary circumstances. When they were both teenagers, they crossed the North Korean border into China and were reunited with families who had fled North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s dictatorial regime.
Both defectors settled in South Korea and were subsequently discovered and scouted by a new boutique music label, Singing Beatle, in 2022.
This month, they officially released their first album as 1VERSE. The group’s debut international showcase is set for the United States, a move seen by industry insiders as both bold and delicate as it launches a new K-pop artist into one of the world’s most competitive music markets.
Details of 1VERSE’s U.S. performance have not yet been disclosed, a Singing Beetle representative said. The group is comprised of five members who reflect K-Pop’s global appeal, including Aito from Japan, Kenny from California, and Nathan from Arkansas.
“I never thought I’d be doing music in Korea,” Seok begins, speaking in a calm but steady voice. “When I was in North Korea, I loved music. I often wrote down the lyrics of my favorite songs. Usually about my mother or things I admired. I kept those notes. I still look at them from time to time.”
For Hyuk, music came later. He arrived at this through discovery, not through childhood interest. “When I was in North Korea, I didn’t even have time to listen to music, and the environment didn’t allow that,” he says.
His career path changed when his teacher at a Korean high school noticed that he was doodling lyrics during class. “Would you like to try rapping?” he recalled his teacher asking.
Hyuk joined his school’s rap club, wrote his first poem, and performed at a festival. The experience changed his mind. Music moved from a personal curiosity to a public pursuit. Next, a conversation began with Michelle Cho, CEO of Singing Beetle. She promised to help him turn his hobby into a dream.
“I started learning step by step,” Hyuk recalled. “Then I started dreaming of becoming an idol” are the words given to K-Pop celebrities.
Meet North Korea’s K-pop stars
Aspiring Korean pop stars typically go through a long and intense period of growth from an early age. Trainees follow a rigorous daily schedule that includes lessons in singing, dancing, foreign languages, “idol etiquette” and more. They are regularly evaluated and often face competitive environments such as downsizing and personnel changes.
Both Seok and Hyuk speak of their two-and-a-half years of training with affection, rather than the exhaustion you might expect after years of intensive choreography and vocal practice.
Seok began by saying, “There was a time when I was alone and worried.” “But as I shared that moment, the members and staff encouraged me, and that support is what I remember most.”
Like most K-pop artists, their days are long. Mornings start with vocal warm-ups before sunrise and sometimes end with fan interaction. Rehearsals continue late into the night.
“I used to play sports,” Sok said, recalling his dream of becoming a soccer star in North Korea. “Right now, I am pursuing something completely new. The very reality of starting from scratch and going through each step makes me happy.”
The group’s upcoming release includes a track titled “Shattered”. It’s a moody anthem that builds to moments of stinging vulnerability. In the climactic section, Seok sings: “Who will save us?” Two months ago, he wasn’t sure he could play music. Now I sing with confidence.
“That line reminded me that we all need help from time to time,” he said. “I hope the audience can feel that too.”
1VERSE’s music reflects the members’ pasts. But it also captures the universality of youth: doubt, hope, love, ambition. Hyuk said that the group’s songs are collective storytelling rather than individual lines. “Each song tells our story,” he said. “The members, the company, me and Soku. For me, the song itself is a beautiful story.”
However, considering how they got here, neither Seok nor Hyuk want to be labeled simply as “North Korean defectors.” They say the term, while accurate, does not encompass their creative ambitions. Nor does it acknowledge the emotional changes they have undergone since arriving in Seoul, a city only about 50 kilometers (31 miles) from the border with North Korea but light years away in terms of openness and opportunity.
Seok said, “I feel like I was reborn after coming to Korea.” “South Korea and North Korea are completely different. That’s why you can dream new dreams here.”
Hyuk added, “Sometimes my fans ask me, “Are you from North Korea?”” In other words, they were in love with us without us knowing it. It feels really meaningful. ”
For both artists, the experience of striving for something greater resonates across borders, whether from North Korea or a place where ambition is suppressed. At the heart of their music lies a quest not for fame or escape, but for the delicate thrill of becoming more than what life once allowed.
“There are 30,000 North Korean defectors in South Korea,” Hyuk said. “And there are still many people (other than North Korean defectors) who don’t have the courage to dream. If our story gives them courage, I think the process itself will have meaning.”
As they prepare for their U.S. debut, both are aware of the risks. “We practiced for a long time,” Hyuk said. “But will the fans like it?” That question worries many idol groups. But for Seok and Hyuk, the stakes feel even higher.
Lee Gyu-tag, a professor of Korean international affairs at George Mason University who studies pop music, said the challenges for new K-pop artists are serious.
Lee suggested that having a North Korean defector among the members “might help the group gain attention when they debut.” “However, the reality is that the current K-POP market is heavily influenced by major distributors, and competition is extremely fierce.”
“Storytelling and narrative are important in K-pop, and that could be this group’s strength,” Lee continued. “There is still a chance for smaller agencies to gain international fans, but with so many groups out there, simply having a good performance or a strong concept may not be enough to succeed.”
1VERSE’s strategy has been to cultivate a fan base, affectionately known as the group’s “Stars,” since the five members began practicing. The singers interact with their followers on Singing Beetle’s app b.stage as well as social media platforms such as TikTok and Instagram. The group has so far garnered more than 22 million likes on TikTok and is approaching 700,000 followers on the platform.
From Seok and Hyuk’s perspective, each comment, like, and shared clip brings them closer to making music with the world-class artists who shaped their tastes.
When asked to name his dream collaborator, Hyuk answered, “Post Malone. I’ve really loved his songs since I was a kid.” He blushed at the mention. “I get so excited just thinking about it.”
After thinking about it for a while, Sok decided on Charlie Puth’s name. “He’s a great musician,” he said. “He’s a genius.”
From the closed world of North Korea to the competitive arena of K-pop, the journey of both 1VERSE bandmates represents something unusual. It’s a story where survival and stardom aren’t at odds, but part of the same song.
Starting this summer, the world will hear their debut notes.
