Yasuo Namekawa (滑川康男,Namekawa Yasuo, born 23 March 1987), better known by his stage nameKangnam, is a South Korean-Japanese singer and television personality who was the vocalist and oldest member of the South Korean hip-hop groupM.I.B. He made his first recording in South Korea with the single "Say My Name" just before becoming a member of M.I.B.

Kangnam
Background information
Birth name	Yasuo Namekawa (滑川康男)
Born	(1987-03-23)23 March 1987 (age 38) Tokyo, Japan
Genres	Hip hop K-pop Trot
Occupations	Singer television personality Actor Youtuber
Instrument(s)	Singing, Piano, Guitar, Violin
Years active	2008–present
Labels	ARMADA Entertainment
Formerly of	M.I.B
Spouse	Lee Sang-hwa ​ (m. 2019)​

Kangnam was born on 23 March 1987 inTokyo,Japan, to a Korean mother and a Japanese father. As an only child, he spent most of his childhood in Japan and also spent some years inHawaii. In March 2008, Kangnam appeared with the stage name Ya-Cha as a new member of the Japanese band Kick Chop Busters.^[1] However, he left the band in 2010 for unknown reasons, without his parents' knowledge. Kangnam has stated in interviews that his family is wealthy, but he does not receive financial support from them.^[2]

Kangnam attended theHawaiian Mission Academy inHonolulu for a brief period before transferring to another high school.^[3] He transferred to five different schools before returning to Japan to finish his studies. Kangnam briefly attendedTemple University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where he majored in communications, but left the school to pursue music instead.^[4]

In South Korea, Kangnam first performed as a member ofM.I.B under the Jungle Entertainment label on 25 October 2011, with the title track "G.D.M", which stands for "Girls, Dreams, Money". His solo song, "Say My Name", was released on 17 October 2011, as part of a spin-off promotion to prove that each member was capable of standing alone. Kangnam is an accomplished guitarist and pianist.^[5]

In 2012, Kangnam appeared in a TV advertisement for Epson, an electronics company that specializes in image-related products,^[6] and took on his first acting role in the TV sitcom21st Century Family, and he became the host of the Japanese version ofMnet'sJjang.^[7]

In October 2014, he became a permanent cast member of MBC'sI Live Alone.^[8] In November 2014, he became an exclusive model for the shoe store ABC Mart, with modelNam Joo-hyuk.^[9]

During the end of 2014, he was the presenter for a year-end festival stage as part of the "Lucky Boys" project for 2014 SBS Gayo Daejun. On the 26 December episode of MBC'sI Live Alone, Kangnam spoke about attending year-end festivals for the first time since in his career: "Singers usually appear on TV to sing at the end of each year. Every year, I have been watching TV thinking 'I'll do that next year,' and somehow four years have passed."^[10]

On 26 December 2014, Kangnam released his second solo track, "What Do I Do", which went to #1 on Daum's real-time charts. Kangnam also ranked #1 on several real-time searches, including Naver, Melon and Mnet.^[11]

In February 2015, he was appointed the honorary ambassador for the fourthKCON music festival and convention for its first time in Japan and performed at the concert on 22 April. He has said that his fluency in both languages would allow him to "act as the bridge between the exchange of culture from both countries".^[12]

On September 2, 2016, he was selected as a cast member forLaw of the Jungle in Mongolia. His performance led to his inclusion as a permanent member of the show, and he continued to participate in various "Law of the Jungle" series in locations such as Fiji, Indonesia, Malaysia, New Zealand, Mexico, States of Micronesia, Papua New Guinea, Timor Leste, Cook Island, Sri Lanka, Maldives, and Korea.

On September 15, 2021, he introduced his own YouTube channel which rapidly rose to become one of the top 6 fastest-growing YouTube channels in Korea in just one year.

Kangnam released his first Japanese solo album,Ready to Fly, on 25 May 2016, underCJ Victor Entertainment.^[13]

On 16 March 2019, Kangnam's agency confirmed that he and theOlympic speed skaterLee Sang-hwa were dating. They got to know each other after appearing on the SBS variety showLaw of the Jungle ("in Last Indian Ocean" part).^[14] On 11 August 2019, Kangnam announced his decision to forfeit his Japanese citizenship and began the process of becoming a naturalized Korean citizen.^[15]Kangnam married Lee on 12 October 2019.

Kangnam officially became a South Korean citizen in February 2022.^[16] His official Korean name is Kwon Kang Nam.

On January 2, 2023, Kangnam donated 10 million won to a stray dog shelter, Korea Animal Rights Advocates (K.A.R.A).^[17]

For Kangnam's work with M.I.B, seeM.I.B's discography.

• Official website