An Upcoming Idol’s Heartbreaking Recollections Of Childhood In North Korea Before Escape
It was recently announced that boy group 1VERSE would be making their debut on July 18.
The group has been active on social media for some time, going viral for their hilarious personalities. The group is made up of Hyuk, Aito, Seok, Kenny, and Nathan, who are over the age of 20.
While all of the members come from diverse back grounds, two of the members, Hyuk and Seok, stand out, as they are both from North Korea.
Hyuk, born in North Hamgyong province, North Korea, was born to a poor family, consisting of his divorced parents and grandmother.
The idol’s mother was the first to escape, sending back her wishes for Hyuk to join her, though he did not due to his closeness to his father. After his parents separation, Hyuk’s situation grew worse, leaving him begging on the streets at just nine years old.
In addition to running errands for soldiers, Hyuk sometimes stole food, including one occasion where he took an unattended lunch box containing spoiled rice.
After his father convinced him to join his month, Hyuk embarked on a several month journey to escape in 2013, at 13 years old. The struggles did not stop there for Hyuk: he struggled to keep up in school due to barely finishing primary school before leaving.
However, the idol worked hard, graduating high school at age 20, and working part-time jobs before he was spotted by their company’s CEO.
On the other hand, Seok, who was born into an affluent family, watched Hallyu content in secret as it is illegal to do so in North Korea. Eventually, he defected in 2019, and arrived in South Korea.
According to their CEO, Michelle Cho, each of the idols handled the physical challenges well, but struggled with voicing their opinions, though that has improved.
I don’t think they were used to questioning things or expressing their opinion. At first, when a trainer asked the reasoning behind their thoughts, the only response was, ‘Because you said so last time.’ Now, Hyuk questions many things. For example, if I ask him to do something, he’ll reply ‘Why? Why is it necessary?’
— Michelle Cho
1VERSE have so far released a schedule ahead of their planned debut.
1VERSE 유니버스 Debut Poster
✶ MULTIVERSE ✶ Pre-Release
➯ 2025.07.04 12PM KST✶ THE 1ST VERSE ✶ Single Album Release
➯ 2025.07.18 12PM KST#1VERSE #유니버스#Multiverse #1VERSE_Multiverse#The1stVerse #1VERSE_The1stVerse pic.twitter.com/N7xLJ5wNsu— 1VERSE (@1VERSE_official) June 19, 2025
