Kim Gun-mo (Korean: 김건모; born January 13, 1968)[1] is a South Korean singer-songwriter who is considered the country's most successful musical artist of the 1990s.[2] His 1995 album,Wrongful Meeting, previously held theGuinness World Record for the best-selling album of all time in South Korea.[3][4] Since his debut in 1992, Kim has released 13 full-length albums[5] and has won numerous awards, including Album of the Year at theGolden Disc Awards for three consecutive years from 1994 to 1996.[6] In 2011, he received apresidential commendation from the South Korean government for his contributions to popular culture.[7]
Kim was born on January 13, 1968, inBusan, South Korea.[1] He was interested in music from a young age and started playing the piano when he was four years old.[8] He attended elementary, middle, and high school in Seoul[1] and graduated fromSeoul Institute of the Arts.[9] He served in theSouth Korean Navy in the late 1980s.[10]
Kim debuted withKim Gun Mo 1 in 1992, which was followed by his second albumExcuse 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 withBe Like... which was also a huge success in Korea. His most recent work was released in 2008, entitled,Soul Groove.
Kim married pianist Jang Ji-yeon in 2019, whom he met through a mutual friend.[11][12] They later divorced in 2022.[13]
On December 8, 2019, lawyerKang 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.[14][15] In 2022, the Seoul High Prosecutors' Office dismissed the rape charge against Kim.[16]
^대중문화예술상 2011년 [2011 Popular Culture and Arts Awards].Korea Creative Content Agency (in Korean).Archived from the original on July 12, 2020. RetrievedMay 31, 2021.
