The first K-pop group where all the members have hearing impairments named BIG OCEAN made their debut.

Part of the Parastar Entertainment agency, the members consists of rapper Lee Chan-yeon (26), main vocalist Park Hyun-jin (25), and rapper Kim Ji-seok (21). Parastar is an agency that specializes in finding artists with disabilities.

They made their debut on April 20 which is Disabled Persons’ Day in Korea with the song “Glow,” a remake of the song “Hope” by H.O.T. They are also incorporating sign language into their choreography.

According to an article by the Chosun Ilbo: “Each member of the group lost their hearing at a different point in their lives. Kim Ji-seok was born deaf, Park Hyun-jin lost his hearing when he was three years old, and Lee Chan-yeon became deaf when he was 18.

All of them have become skilled in lip-reading for communication and use cochlear implants and hearing aids with no issues in communication. However, they were initially not fluent in sign language. In preparation for their debut, they learned Korean Sign Language (KSL), American Sign Language (ASL), and International Sign Language (ISL). This led to some online criticism about their imperfect sign language skills.

Prior to their debut as idols, all three members received concerns from their acquaintances as they all had full-time jobs. Lee Chan-yeon was working as an audiologist at Korea University Anam Hospital, Kim Ji-seok was a member of the Seoul Disabled Ski Association, and Park Hyun-jin was a well-known YouTuber who documented his daily life with disabilities.

Although they had stable jobs, they made the decision to follow their dreams of becoming idols. This choice led to them facing questions about why they would take such a risk. However, they answered that they wanted to pursue their passions and aspirations.”

Check out their debut on ‘Show! Music Core’ below.