It is nothing new to see foreign members in K-pop groups, but for the first time, North Koreans are joining the scene
Some K-pop fans are familiar with the name Michelle Cho, who is a former SM Entertainment A&R and have worked with famous stars like EXO and SEVENTEEN.
Recently, however, Michelle Cho has been gaining attention for introducing her new project – the 1st ever K-pop group to have North Korean escapees as members. The group, which is called SB BOYZ, will debut under the new K-pop company Singing Beetle.
According to released information, the two North Korean members of SB BOYZ are Seok (real name Kim Seok) and Hyuk (real name Yu Hyuk). The two, both born in 2000, fled their home country to escape poverty and faced various challenges even in the new land.
“North Korea was physically arduous, but life in South Korea was emotionally hard”, Yu Kyuk said, at the same time revealing that he once had to steal and beg as a child on the North Korean streets.
The SB BOYZ project has since attracted attention from various netizens, and the appearance of 2 North Korean members were even covered by The Wall Street Journal.
Below are some comments from netizens:
- Wow I guess they are the first north koreans debuting in k-pop, definitely something to make it onto the news in some way even if it’s a small company
- Cho/Singing Beetle has done many great interviews breaking down getting songs for SM groups, and her work on SM and other labels cannot be overstated. Super interesting she’s opening up her own K-pop company now.
- This is amazing… Aren’t they the first North Korean idols?
- This is crazy, definitely going to be tuning in
