From beggar to boy band: North Korean escapee debuts as leader of new group 1Verse

Boy band 1Verse’s Hyuk once dreamed of nothing more than living a normal life.

In 2013, Hyuk escaped from North Korea, where he lived in extreme poverty, resorting to begging on the streets. Now, 12 years, later, the rapper stands under the spotlight in the heart of Seoul as the leader of a fully debuted K-pop group.

“My dream has always been to live like a human being,” the leader said during 1Verse’s debut showcase on July 18 in southern Seoul ahead of the release of its first single “The 1st Verse.”

That long-held aspiration inspired him to write “Ordinary Person” (2024), an unreleased track he wrote and shared on YouTube a year ago. Hyuk performed the song live on stage on July 18 alongside his bandmates: Seok, another North Korean defector who escaped in 2019, and Nathan and Kenny from the United States and Aito from Japan.

“What makes this a truly meaningful moment for me is that now I get to perform the song on stage with my members,” Hyuk said. “After joining the company, I found a new community, and it started to feel like I belong.”

The members and 5tarz, the official fandom, made him live a normal life, Hyuk added.
The group’s easy camaraderie was on full display during the performance, Hyuk’s every casual gesture and smile a powerful testament to how far he has come.

1Verse, pronounced as “universe,” is the first K-pop group launched by Singing Beetle. CEO Michelle Cho has been part of the international artists and repertoire team at SM Entertainment before founding the agency in 2019.

The name 1Verse means that each member and their stories, which might be just a single verse in a song, come together to form one unified universe.

“Shattered” combines elements of trap and drum and bass, expressing “chaos, confusion and a shattered state of mind,” according to Kenny, who participated in the songwriting alongside Hyuk.

“There’s this part in the song that goes, ‘Who’s gonna save us now?,’ which is a high note that always makes me wonder who’s actually gonna save me from singing this part,” Seok joked cheekily.

He then added on a more serious note that the lyrics hold personal significance, saying, “I’ve gone through difficult times in my life, and often wished that someone would come and rescue me.”

Aito, who named SHINee’s Taemin and aespa’s Karina as his dream collaborations, shared his global ambitions for the team.

“I know I might be a little ambitious, but I would like to perform on a bigger stage like KCON, and perhaps eventually MAMA and Coachella in the future,” Aito said with a smile.

Nathan, responding to a question about the group’s identity, said that he hopes the group to be able to make music that people can feel a genuine connection with.

“It’d be cool if people see or hear our name and think, ‘oh my gosh, they’re just like us,” he said. “I hope that we can make music that will inspire people to tell their stories.”

BY SHIN HA-NEE [shin.hanee@joongang.co.kr]