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K-pop idol groups with N. Korean defectors set for debut this summer

June 20, 2025

For the first time in K-pop history, idol groups featuring members who defected from North Korea are making their debut this summer.

According to the music industry, the six-member boy band Be Boys became the first K-pop group to include a North Korean defector when it debuted Wednesday.

Member Hakseong first gained public attention when he revealed on a local TV audition program last year that he had defected from North Korea in 2017. Although he didn’t win the competition, he realized his dream of becoming a singer roughly a year later by debuting as a member of Be Boys.

K-pop boy group Be Boys is seen in this photo provided by Oak Company. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

Another boy band, 1Verse — also including members who defected from the North — is scheduled to debut with a media showcase on July 18, according to its agency, Singing Beetle.

The five-member group, pronounced “Universe,” includes Hyuk and Seok, both North Korean defectors; Nathan, a Laotian-Thai American; Kenny, a Chinese American; and Aito, who is Japanese.

The group is produced by Michelle Cho, founder and CEO of Singing Beetle, who previously worked in SM Entertainment’s international A&R department.

The name “1Verse” symbolizes how various “verses,” or stories, come together to form a unified world or a “universe,” reflecting the diverse backgrounds of the members, according to the agency.

“Even before their official debut, the members showcased their vocal skills and dance covers on platforms like YouTube, Instagram and TikTok, amassing nearly 1 million followers,” the agency said in a statement.