10 Photos of Kim Hakseong, the First Trainee from North Korea's Survival Show, His Life Story Touches the Judges and Other Contestants

Kim Hakseong is known to have been born on September 10, 2004. This year, the trainee who occupies the vocal and rap positions will turn 20 years old.

In the pre-show profile, the trainees mentioned that Kim Hakseong is an ISTP and his role model in the K-Pop industry is Juyeon from THE BOYZ.

The status of trainee Kim Hakseong as a defector from North Korea is unknown until the first episode of the survival show MAKEMATE1 is aired.

In the first episode, the trainees were given the opportunity to introduce themselves using keywords. Many were surprised when Kim Hakseong received the keyword "Escaped from the North."

Kim Hakseong confirmed the keyword and said that he came to South Korea in 2017 when he was around 13 years old.

"When I came to South Korea, my biggest concern was adapting to the society. I watched a lot of TV in my new home. I was very impressed with the idols on TV. That's where I started wanting to become an idol," said Kim Hakseong.

Furthermore, Kim Hakseong admitted that telling his story was stressful. But at the same time, he felt like he was "escaping again" if he didn't confront his past.

The judges and other contestants of MAKEMATE1 were deeply touched and impressed by Kim Hakseong's determination, especially when he answered the question: what is his goal?

Kim Hakseong stated that he wants to give hope to people who are in difficult situations, where they cannot pursue their dreams.

FYI, the last group MAKEMATE1 will consist of 6-9 members and will be managed by MAKESTAR. They will be promoting for an unspecified period of time, depending on the group's performance.