Nam Jin (; born September 27, 1946) is a South Korean
trot
The trot is a two-beat diagonal horse gait where the diagonal pairs of legs move forward at the same time with a moment of suspension between each beat. It has a wide variation in possible speeds, but averages about . A very slow trot is som ...
singer.
He debuted in 1965 with the album ''Seoul Playboy'', and became one of
South Korea
South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the southern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and borders North Korea along the Korean Demilitarized Zone, with the Yellow Sea to the west and t ...
's most popular singers of the 1960s and 1970s.
Biography
Early life
Nam Jin was born Kim Nam-jin in 1946 in
Mokpo
Mokpo (; ) is the List of cities in South Korea, third largest and most densely populated city in South Jeolla Province, South Korea, located at the southwestern tip of the Korean Peninsula, close to Yudal mountain. Mokpo has frequent high-speed ...
,
South Jeolla Province
South Jeolla Province (), formerly South Chŏlla Province, also known as Jeonnam (), is a province in the Honam, Honam region, South Korea, and the Provinces of Korea, southernmost province in mainland Korea. South Jeolla borders the provinces of ...
, South Korea.
His father Kim Moon-ok, was a publisher for Mokpo Daily, and was a notable figure for the opposition as a member of parliament, which made his family rich.
His mother was Jang Gi-soon.
1960s
Originally Nam wanted to be an actor, but he trained in Han Dong-hoon's music academy for two years.
Han eventually produced Nam's pop debut album Seoul playboy which was released in 1965 and failed commercially.
After moving to oasis records, his 2nd album "Did I come here to cry?" became a huge hit.
Since 1967 he also started his acting career with the 1967 film ''Heartbreaking''.
His film ''Longing Is Every Heart'' attracted 100,000 audiences in theaters.
In 1968 he enlisted in the
Blue Dragon Korean Marine Corp for the Vietnam War.
1970s
He discharged from the military in 1971. His 1972 single "Together with My Lover" () became a huge hit, which was pop. He married with singer
Yoon Bok-hee
Yoon Bok-hee (; born March 9, 1946) is a South Korean singer, musical actress, and songwriter. Her father is Yoon Bu-gil, a popular comedian and her mother is Sung Kyung-ja, a well known classical ballerina. She is known for being an early adopt ...
in 1976.
1980s
Nam was suppressed by the government and was limited of his career in the 1980s.
He immigrated to America and went back to South Korea in 1982 releasing "Empty Cup".
2000s
He often appears on the
KBS 1TV ''
Golden Oldies'' ().
Filmography
Television shows
Ambassadorship
*
Hwasun-gun's public relations ambassador (2022)
Awards
Korean Popular Culture and Arts Awards
MBC Ten Singers Match
TBC Broadcast Music Awards
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nam, Jin
1946 births
Living people
Trot singers
South Korean male film actors
South Korean television personalities
South Korean military personnel of the Vietnam War
Republic of Korea Marine Corps personnel
People from Mokpo
Musicians from South Jeolla Province
Hanyang University alumni
21st-century South Korean male singers