# Kim Gun-mo

Kim Gun-mo (Korean: 김건모; 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 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 |
| Title | Album details | KOR | Sales |
| 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 |
| Excuses (핑계) | Released: October 20, 1993 Label: Line Production Formats: CD, cassette | No data* | KOR: 1,830,000 |
| Wrongful Meeting (잘못된 만남) | Released: January 21, 1995 Label: Line Production Formats: CD, cassette | No data* | KOR: 3,300,000 |
| Exchange | Released: May 17, 1996 Label: Geoneum Formats: CD, cassette | No data* | KOR: 1,810,000 |
| Myself | Released: December 1, 1997 Label: Geoneum Formats: CD, cassette | No data* | KOR: 1,000,000 |
| Growing | Released: November 19, 1999 Label: Geoneum Formats: CD, cassette | 1 | KOR: 480,736 |
| Another Days | Released: May 5, 2001 Label: Geoneum Formats: CD, cassette | 1 | KOR: 1,376,581 |
| Hestory | Released: February 27, 2003 Label: Geoneum Formats: CD, cassette | 1 | KOR: 529,416 |
| 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 |
| Autobiography & Best (자서전 & Best) | Released: September 27, 2011 Label: Media Line Formats: CD, digital download | 10 | KOR: 5,887 |
| * Chart positions not available prior to 1999. "—"denotes release did not chart. ||||

### Extended plays

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

## Filmography
### Variety shows

| Year | Title | Role |
| 2016–2019 | My Ugly Duckling | Himself |

## 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 | Won |
| Golden Disc Awards | 1995 | Album of the Year | Wrongful Encounter | Won |
| Golden Disc Awards | 1996 | Album of the Year | Exchange | Won |
| Mnet Asian Music Awards | 2001 | Best Ballad Performance | "Sorry" (미안해요) | Won |
| Mnet Asian Music Awards | 2003 | Best Male Artist | "Wedding Invitation" (청첩장) | Nominated |
| Mnet Asian Music Awards | 2011 | Best Vocal Solo Performance | "Today is More Sad Than Yesterday" | Nominated |
| Seoul Music Awards | 1994 | Grand Prize | Kim Gun-mo | Won |
| Seoul Music Awards | 2001 | Grand Prize | Kim Gun-mo | Won |

### State honors

Name of country, year given, and name of honor :
| Country | Year | Honor | Ref. |
| South Korea | 2011 | Presidential Commendation | |