1. Kim Kwang-seok was a popular and influential South Korean folk rock singer.
17 Facts About Kim Kwang-seok
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Kim Kwang-seok debuted in 1987 as a member of Noraereul Channeun Saramdeul, an activist folk band.
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Kim Kwang-seok achieved widespread popularity as a member of the folk band Dongmulwon, which debuted in 1988.
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Kim Kwang-seok was born on January 22,1964, in Daegu, South Korea.
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Kim Kwang-seok had two older brothers and two older sisters.
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Kim Kwang-seok's family moved to Seoul in 1968, after Kim's father lost his job as a teacher due to his involvement in a then illegal teachers' union that eventually became the Korean Teachers and Education Workers Union.
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In elementary school, Kim studied the violin, oboe, and flute, and in high school he joined the choir.
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In 1984, Kim Kwang-seok joined the Seoul National University singing association and took part in Kim Kwang-seok Min-ki's musical play Gaettongi.
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Kim Kwang-seok joined the army in 1985, and was discharged following the death of his eldest brother.
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Kim Kwang-seok then returned to school and joined the student activist folk band Noraereul Channeun Saramdeul in 1987.
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Kim Kwang-seok released two albums with the band in 1988.
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Kim Kwang-seok kept singing at concerts, marking a thousand concerts in August 1995.
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Kim Kwang-seok preferred small concert halls to be in closer contact with audiences, setting a trend of concert in small theatres around Daehangno in Seoul, a Korean equivalent of Broadway.
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On January 6,1996, Kim Kwang-seok was found dead in his house around dawn with a cord around his neck.
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However, even though Kim Kwang-seok's music was clearly rooted in social issues in his early years of his career, he empathized with the sorrow and frustration of individuals, which had been downplayed in the struggle for democracy.
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Kim Kwang-seok illustrated the lives of people with loving eyes, but stayed composed and measured.
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In January, 2021, using artificial intelligence Kim Kwang-seok's voice was heard 25 years after his death on a program aired by national broadcaster SBS, named "Competition of the Century: AI vs Human".