Kim Gun-mo

In this Korean name, the family name is Kim.

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 the Guinness 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 the Golden Disc Awards for three consecutive years from 1994 to 1996.^[6] In 2011, he received a presidential commendation from the South Korean government for his contributions to popular culture.^[7]

Kim Gun-Mo
Kim in 2012
Background information
Born	(1968-01-13) January 13, 1968 (age 56)
Origin	Busan, South Korea
Genres	K-pop, ballad
Occupation(s)	Singer-songwriter
Instrument(s)	Piano
Years active	1992–present
Korean name
Hangul	김건모
Hanja	金健模
Revised Romanization	Gim Geon-mo
McCune–Reischauer	Kim Kŏnmo

Early life

Kim was born on January 13, 1968, in Busan, 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 school, middle school, and high school in Seoul^[1] and graduated from Seoul Institute of the Arts.^[9] He served in the South Korean Navy in the late 1980s.^[10]

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, ‘He-story,’ 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.^[11][12] They later divorced in 2022.^[13]

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.^[14][15] In 2022, the Seoul High Prosecutors' Office dismissed the rape charge against Kim.^[16]

Discography

Studio albums

Title	Album details	Peak chart positions	Sales
		KOR ^[17]^[18]
Sleepless Rainy Night (잠못드는 밤 비는 내리고)	Released: October 29, 1992 Label: Line Production Formats: CD, cassette Track listing After A Break Up Sleepless Rainy Night As Much As I Feel For You Your Reason Afternoon Scenery The Sadness I Feel Love For You First Sight Reminiscence Sleepless Rainy Night (Club Remix Version) Your Reason (Remix Version) First Sight (Remix Version) Sleepless Rainy Night (Dance Remix Version)	No data*	KOR: 1,000,000^[19]
Excuses (핑계)	Released: October 20, 1993 Label: Line Production Formats: CD, cassette		KOR: 1,830,000^[citation needed]
Wrongful Meeting (잘못된 만남)	Released: January 21, 1995 Label: Line Production Formats: CD, cassette		KOR: 3,300,000^[19]
Exchange	Released: May 17, 1996 Label: Geoneum Formats: CD, cassette		KOR: 1,810,000^[citation needed]
Myself	Released: December 1, 1997 Label: Geoneum Formats: CD, cassette		KOR: 1,000,000^[19]
Growing	Released: November 19, 1999 Label: Geoneum Formats: CD, cassette	1	KOR: 480,736^[20]
Another Days	Released: May 5, 2001 Label: Geoneum Formats: CD, cassette	1	KOR: 1,376,581^[21]
Hestory	Released: February 27, 2003 Label: Geoneum Formats: CD, cassette	1	KOR: 529,416^[22]
Kimgunmo	Released: September 3, 2004 Label: Geoneum Formats: CD, cassette	—	—
Be Like...	Released: June 16, 2005 Label: Geoneum Formats: CD, cassette	—	—
Style Album 11: Scarecrow (Style Album 11: 허수아비)	Released: March 15, 2007 Label: Geoneum Formats: CD, cassette	—	—
Soul Groove	Released: August 7, 2008 Label: Media Line Formats: CD	7	KOR: 19,876^[23]
Autobiography & Best (자서전 & Best)	Released: September 27, 2011 Label: Media Line Formats: CD, digital download	10	KOR: 5,887^[24]
* Chart positions not available prior to 1999. "—"denotes release did not chart.

Extended plays

Title	Album details	Peak chart positions	Sales
		KOR ^[18]
50	Released: November 19, 2016 Label: Music&NEW Formats: CD, digital download	12	KOR: 14,168^[25]

Filmography

Variety shows

Year	Title	Role
2016–2019	My Ugly Duckling	Himself^[26]

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	Ref.
Golden Disc Awards	1994	Album of the Year	Excuses	Won	^[6]
	1995		Wrongful Encounter	Won
	1996		Exchange	Won
Mnet Asian Music Awards	2001	Best Ballad Performance	"Sorry" (미안해요)	Won	^[27]
	2003	Best Male Artist	"Wedding Invitation" (청첩장)	Nominated	^[28]
	2011	Best Vocal Solo Performance	"Today is More Sad Than Yesterday"	Nominated	^[29]
Seoul Music Awards	1994	Grand Prize	Kim Gun-mo	Won	^[30]
	2001			Won

State honors

Name of country, year given, and name of honor

Country	Year	Honor	Ref.
South Korea^[note 1]	2011	Presidential Commendation	^[34]

See also

• List of best-selling albums in South Korea

Notes

1. Honors are given at the Korean Popular Culture and Arts Awards, arranged by the Korea Creative Content Agency and hosted by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.^[31][32] They are awarded to those who have contributed to the arts and South Korea's pop culture.^[33]

References

1. "김건모". Daum Encyclopedia (in Korean). Retrieved August 19, 2018.^{[dead link]}
2. . Mnet (in Korean). Archived from the original on August 20, 2018. Retrieved January 16, 2018.
3. Park, Si-soo (October 31, 2013). "Root of K-pop". The Korea Times. Retrieved January 16, 2018.
4. Herman, Tamar (February 25, 2019). "BTS' 'Map of the Soul: Persona' Confirmed as Best-Selling Album in South Korean History: Guinness World Records". Billboard. Retrieved June 25, 2019.
5. Chung, Jin-hong (November 9, 2016). "Kim Gun-mo readies a new record". Korea JoongAng Daily. Retrieved August 19, 2018.
6. Lee, Jin-a (January 15, 2017). "EXO wins fourth grand prize at Golden Disc Awards". The Korea Times. Retrieved January 16, 2018.
7. Shin, Hae-in (November 21, 2011). "Top Entertainers Honored". The Korea Herald. Retrieved August 19, 2018.
8. "김건모, 4살 때 피아노 연주...타고난 음악재능". Star News (in Korean). August 21, 2012. Retrieved August 19, 2018.
9. "'미우새' 김건모·유영석, '잘못된 만남'이 이 일 때문에…' 왜?". Kyunghyang Shinmun (in Korean). May 29, 2017. Retrieved August 19, 2018.
10. "김건모 김용만 지석진 '해군시절 함께 죽을뻔'". Money Today (in Korean). November 2, 2006. Retrieved August 19, 2018.
11. "Singer Kim Gun-mo to end tour in February". The Korea Herald. The Korea Herald. November 11, 2019. Retrieved December 10, 2019.
12. Dong, Sun-Hwa (October 31, 2019). "Veteran singer Kim Gun-mo to marry pianist". The Korea Times. The Korea Times. Retrieved December 10, 2019.
13. Choo, Seung-hyun (June 10, 2022). "성폭행 무혐의' 김건모, 장지연과 2년만 파경설 "협의이혼 절차" ['Sexual assault' Kim Gun-mo and Jang Ji-yeon break up for the first time in 2 years "Divorce by consultation] (in Korean). Seoul Economic Daily. Retrieved June 10, 2022 – via Naver.
14. Park, Si-Soo; Dong, Sun-Hwa (December 8, 2019). "Singer Kim Gun-mo embroiled in sexual assault scandal". The Korea Times. Retrieved December 10, 2019.
15. Park, Si-soo (December 9, 2019). "Kim Gun-mo accused of rape". The Korea Times. Retrieved December 10, 2019.
16. Lee, Ji-an (June 14, 2022). "Prosecutors dismiss rape charge against singer Kim Gun-mo". Korea Joongang Daily.
17. . Recording Industry Association of Korea (in Korean). Archived from the original on April 18, 2018. Retrieved April 26, 2018.
    • . Archived from the original on April 28, 2018.
    • . Archived from the original on April 28, 2018.
    • . Archived from the original on March 23, 2005.
    • . Archived from the original on February 27, 2009.
18. "Gaon Album Chart". Gaon Music Chart (in Korean). Retrieved April 26, 2018.
    • "Autobiography charting".
    • "50 charting".
19. . KBS World Radio. Archived from the original on January 16, 2018. Retrieved August 19, 2018.
20. . Recording Industry Association of Korea (in Korean). Archived from the original on April 25, 2018. Retrieved August 19, 2018.
21. . Recording Industry Association of Korea (in Korean). Archived from the original on September 19, 2008. Retrieved January 29, 2018.
22. . Recording Industry Association of Korea (in Korean). Archived from the original on February 28, 2009. Retrieved August 19, 2018.
23. . Recording Industry Association of Korea (in Korean). Archived from the original on February 27, 2009. Retrieved April 26, 2018.
24. Cumulative sales of Autobiography & Best:
    • "September 2011 Album Chart". Gaon Music Chart (in Korean). Retrieved April 26, 2018.
    • "October 2011 Album Chart". Gaon Music Chart (in Korean). Retrieved April 26, 2018.
25. Cumulative sales of 50:
    • "December 2016 Album Chart". Gaon Music Chart (in Korean). Retrieved August 19, 2018.
    • "December 2017 Album Chart". Gaon Music Chart (in Korean). Retrieved May 17, 2019.
    • "December 2018 Album Chart". Gaon Music Chart (in Korean). Retrieved May 17, 2019.
26. Jin, Min-ji (June 8, 2017). "Family-oriented television pivots to parents: Reality shows featuring celebs' children have dropped in popularity". Korea JoongAng Daily. Retrieved January 16, 2018.
27. "2001 M.net Korean Music Festival Winners list" Archived June 13, 2014, at archive.today. MAMA. Retrieved July 22, 2014.
28. "2003 MMF part 1". Mwave. Retrieved August 20, 2014.
29. "2011Mnet Asian Music Awards part 1" June 29, 2017, at the Wayback Machine. MAMA. Retrieved January 20, 2015.
30. Lee, Ji-seok (December 6, 2017). "2017년 '왕중왕' 가리는 가요계 대축제". Sports Seoul (in Korean). Retrieved January 16, 2018.
31. Hicap, Jonathan (October 18, 2018). "BTS, Red Velvet win at Korean Popular Culture and Arts Awards". Manila Bulletin. from the original on October 18, 2018. Retrieved May 31, 2021.
32. Yeo, Yer-im (October 25, 2018). "BTS gets award upon their return home". Yonhap News Agency. from the original on November 7, 2018. Retrieved May 31, 2021 – via Korea JoongAng Daily.
33. Lee, Sang-won (October 25, 2016). "Korean Popular Culture and Arts Awards announces winners". The Korea Herald. from the original on September 29, 2018. Retrieved May 31, 2021.
34. 대중문화예술상 2011년 [2011 Popular Culture and Arts Awards]. Korea Creative Content Agency (in Korean). from the original on July 12, 2020. Retrieved May 31, 2021.