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,

Two North Korean defectors, Seok and Hyuk, have debuted as K-pop idols under the new boy group 1VERSE. Both Seok and Hyuk escaped North Korea through China when they were teenagers. In 2022, they were discovered by the South Korean music label Singing Beetle.

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.