Kim Gun-mo (; born January 13, 1968) is a South Korean singer-songwriter who is considered the country's most successful musical artist of the 1990s. His 1995 album, '' Wrongful Meeting,'' previously held the

Guinness World Record ''Guinness World Records'', known from its inception in 1955 until 1999 as ''The Guinness Book of Records'' and in previous United States editions as ''The Guinness Book of World Records'', is a British reference book published annually, listi ...

for the best-selling album of all time in South Korea''.'' Since his debut in 1992, Kim has released 13 full-length albums and has won numerous awards, including Album of the Year at the

Golden Disc Awards The Golden Disc Awards (, formerly spelled the Golden Disk Awards before 2015) is an annual South Korean major music awards ceremony that honors achievements in the local music industry. The awards ceremony was founded with the purpose to prom ...

for three consecutive years from 1994 to 1996. In 2011, he received a presidential commendation from the South Korean government for his contributions to popular culture.

Early life

Kim was born on January 13, 1968, in

Busan Busan (), officially Busan Metropolitan City, is South Korea's second list of cities in South Korea by population, most populous city after Seoul, with a population of over 3.3 million as of 2024. Formerly romanized as Pusan, it is the economi ...

, South Korea. He was interested in music from a young age and started playing the piano when he was four years old. He attended elementary, middle, and high school in Seoul and graduated from

Seoul Institute of the Arts Seoul Institute of the Arts () is an arts university in Ansan, Gyeonggi Province, South Korea. The Namsan campus in Seoul is used for presentation of arts productions and convergence with industry. The Ansan Campus opened in 2001 and is used for ...

. He served in the

South Korean Navy The Republic of Korea Navy (ROKN; ), also known as the ROK Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the South Korean armed forces, responsible for naval and amphibious operations. The South Korean navy includes the Republic of Korea Marine C ...

in the late 1980s.

Career

Kim debuted with ''Kim Gun Mo 1'' in 1992, which was followed by his second album ''Excuse'' in 1993. His third album Mis-Encounter came out in 1995. In the following year, he released Exchange. As one of the most popular Korean entertainers, Kim holds the record for biggest selling album in Korea with his third studio album, which sold over 3.3 million copies. Kim's albums rank consistently high on Korean music charts; his 8th album, ''Hestory'', was the best-selling album of 2003. His most famous songs include "Excuse", "Mis-Encounter", and "Jjangga". In 2004, he released his 9th album Kim Gun Mo 9 which is reminiscent of his first album. This album was his second restarting point in his music career. In the following year, he came up with '' Be Like...'' which was also a huge success in Korea. His most recent work was released in 2008, entitled, '' Soul Groove''.

Personal life

Kim married pianist Jang Ji-yeon in 2019, whom he met through a mutual friend. They later divorced in 2022. On December 8, 2019, lawyer Kang Yong-suk announced that he was representing a woman who alleged that Kim sexually assaulted her. Kim denied the allegation and stated that he would take legal action against Kang. In 2022, the Seoul High Prosecutors' Office dismissed the rape charge against Kim.

Discography

Studio albums

Extended plays

Filmography

Variety shows

Awards and nominations

State honors

Notes

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kim, Gun-mo 1968 births Living people Musicians from Busan South Korean rhythm and blues singers South Korean pop pianists Grand Prize Golden Disc Award recipients Grand Prize Seoul Music Award recipients MAMA Award winners South Korean male pianists 21st-century South Korean pianists 21st-century South Korean male singers South Korean male singer-songwriters South Korean singer-songwriters