At just nine years old, Yu Hyuk found himself begging on the streets of North Hamgyong, a province in North Korea known for its extreme poverty, situated along the borders of China and Russia.
In addition to begging, he completed small tasks for soldiers and sold mushrooms he had foraged. Desperation often drove him to steal food—one time, he grabbed an unattended lunchbox at an underground station, only to find a portion of spoiled rice inside.
According to Hyuk, this was simply “part of everyday life” for countless North Koreans. His primary focus was survival, leaving little space for aspirations.
However, he still dared to dream. Later this year, the 25-year-old is set to make his debut in the US as part of a K-pop boy band.
1Verse (pronounced “universe”) consists of five members: Hyuk, Seok—another North Korean defector—Aito from Japan, and two Asian Americans, Kenny and Nathan, who all prefer to be referred to by their first names. Their debut will mark a historic moment as the first K-pop boy band to include North Korean defectors.
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From Struggle to Stardom
Hyuk was born in a coastal village in Kyongsong county and was raised by his father and grandmother following his parents’ separation when he was just four years old.
Later, his mother left North Korea and settled in the South. She attempted to reunite with him, hoping he would join her. However, Hyuk, deeply attached to his father, refused to leave.
He recalls that his family wasn’t “extremely poor” at first, but their situation quickly worsened after his parents split. His father was unwilling to work, and his grandmother was too elderly to provide for them, leaving Hyuk to fend for himself.
Eventually, his father convinced him to reunite with his mother, leading Hyuk to escape from North Korea in 2013.
His journey to the South took several months and involved passing through multiple countries. To protect the safety of future defectors, he has chosen not to disclose the details of his escape route.
