SEOUL — July 20, 2025: The new K-pop boy band 1VERSE, pronounced “universe,” made their global debut on Friday, featuring two members who defected from North Korea. Their first EP, The 1st Verse, includes a powerful song addressing the struggles of escaping one of the world’s most repressive regimes.

1VERSE consists of five members in their 20s—Hyuk, Seok, Aito, Nathan, and Kenny—hailing from North Korea, Japan, and the United States. They performed a live-streamed showcase at midnight to introduce their debut single, Shattered, among three tracks on the EP.

The music video for Shattered was released later Friday, showcasing the group with polished looks and dynamic choreography against a striking strobe-lit background.

Yu Hyuk, originally from Kyongsong county in northeastern North Korea, has lived in South Korea since 2013. The 25-year-old artist speaks candidly about the hardships he endured in North Korea, including child labor starting at age nine and extreme hunger that forced him into desperate acts like theft. “After I was caught stealing, I was beaten hard until I was bleeding,” Hyuk told Reuters. “I was really hungry and instinctively thinking about survival.”

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, North Korea has tightened controls amid closed borders, with ongoing reports of human rights abuses including executions, forced labor, and starvation, according to a recent UN investigation.

Hyuk escaped North Korea as a child, traveling through China and other countries with help from a broker arranged by his mother, who was already in South Korea. Though grateful for his new life and the freedom to pursue music, he remembers the emotional pain of leaving home. The song Shattered reflects his feelings upon learning of his father’s death in North Korea.

Kim Seok, the other North Korean defector in the group, grew up near the China border. He discovered K-pop through a friend’s portable media player, listening to hits like Psy’s “Gangnam Style.” Seok escaped with his father and grandmother when he was 20.

The group’s unique backgrounds and heartfelt music add a new dimension to the global K-pop scene.