In a quiet corner of Seoul’s Hyuga Cafe, a warm, honey-toned space nestled inside what once served as the dormitory for K-pop superband BTS, two young men sip iced americanos, sketching out their own dreams of superstardom.

With two out of five of its members North Korean defectors, the K-pop group 1VERSE is breaking new ground as it debuts its single album Friday.The band represents an unusual convergence of backgrounds: North Korea-born rapper Hyuk and singer Seok join Nathan from Arkansas,