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 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 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, 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. He served in the South Korean Navy 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 of the far-right think tank Hover Lab 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 Title Album details Peak chart positions Sales KOR
Sleepless Rainy Night()Released: October 29, 1992 Label: Line Production Formats: CD, cassetterowspan="5" *KOR: 1,000,000Excuses()Released: October 20, 1993 Label: Line Production Formats: CD, cassette KOR: 1,830,000Wrongful Meeting()Released: January 21, 1995 Label: Line Production Formats: CD, cassetteKOR: 3,300,000ExchangeReleased: May 17, 1996 Label: Geoneum Formats: CD, cassetteKOR: 1,810,000MyselfReleased: December 1, 1997 Label: Geoneum Formats: CD, cassette KOR: 1,000,000GrowingReleased: November 19, 1999 Label: Geoneum Formats: CD, cassette1 KOR: 480,736Another DaysReleased: May 5, 2001 Label: Geoneum Formats: CD, cassette1 KOR: 1,376,581HestoryReleased: February 27, 2003 Label: Geoneum Formats: CD, cassette1 KOR: 529,416Kimgunmo Released: September 3, 2004 Label: Geoneum Formats: CD, cassette—Be Like...Released: June 16, 2005 Label: Geoneum Formats: CD, cassette—Style Album 11: ScarecrowReleased: March 15, 2007 Label: Geoneum Formats: CD, cassette—Soul GrooveReleased: August 7, 2008 Label: Media Line Formats: CD7 KOR: 19,876Autobiography & BestReleased: September 27, 2011 Label: Media Line Formats: CD, digital download10 KOR: 5,887Cumulative sales of Autobiography & Best:* Chart positions not available prior to 1999."—"denotes release did not chart.
Extended plays Title Album details Peak chart positions Sales KOR50Released: November 19, 2016 Label: Music&NEW Formats: CD, digital download12KOR: 14,168Cumulative sales of 50:
Filmography
Variety shows YearTitleRole2016–2019My Ugly DucklingHimself
Awards and nominations + Name of the award ceremony, year presented, category, nominee of the award, and the result of the nomination Award ceremony Year Category Nominee / work Result Golden Disc Awards 1994 Album of the Year Excuses 1995 Wrongful Encounter 1996 Exchange Mnet Asian Music Awards 2001 Best Ballad Performance "Sorry" () "2001 M.net Korean Music Festival Winners list" . MAMA. Retrieved July 22, 2014. 2003 Best Male Artist "Wedding Invitation" () "2003 MMF part 1". Mwave. Retrieved August 20, 2014. 2011 Best Vocal Solo Performance "Today is More Sad Than Yesterday" "2011Mnet Asian Music Awards part 1" . MAMA. Retrieved January 20, 2015. Seoul Music Awards 1994 Grand Prize Kim Gun-mo 2001
State honors + Name of country, year given, and name of honor Country Year Honor South Korea 2011 Presidential Commendation
See also List of best-selling albums in South Korea
Notes
References