Kim Min-ki
Encyclopedia
Kim Min-ki is a South Korea
n singer, songwriter, playwright
, and composer
.
Min-ki was educated at Seoul National University
. He first came to prominence as the composer of the tune "Achim Isul" ' onMouseout='HidePop("5034")' href="/topics/Morning_dew">Morning dew
"), which was written in 1970 and performed by Korean folk singer
Yang Hee-eun. The song was a major pop music hit in Korea in the 1970s, and Min-ki became a prominent figure in blending Korean folk and pop musics, as well as an outspoken political activist and representative of youth culture. Min-ki's songs discussed the Americanization
of Korean culture and questioned relations between North and South Korea, and his lyrical and musical style were a major influence on the genre known as Norae Undong ("Song Movement") which became popular in the 1980s. He released nine albums before 1975, at which time his music was censored
by the government; his albums were pulled from record stores, playing of his music over the radio or singing it in public was banned, and he was not permitted to release material under his own name. He composed the music for a 1981 film, The Ball Shot by a Midget, which was not permitted to be used by government censors who reviewed the film. This moratorium continued until June 26, 1987, when all restrictions on the performance of his material were lifted.
During his period of censorship, Min-ki turned to writing plays, which began to be performed after 1987. He also formed an acting troupe, Hakchon, which performs musicals he composed. His rock musical
, Line 1, was first performed in 1994, and has been given over 1,000 times in Korea, as well as being performed in Germany
, China
, and Japan
.
South Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
n singer, songwriter, playwright
Playwright
A playwright, also called a dramatist, is a person who writes plays.The term is not a variant spelling of "playwrite", but something quite distinct: the word wright is an archaic English term for a craftsman or builder...
, and composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
.
Min-ki was educated at Seoul National University
Seoul National University
Seoul National University , colloquially known in Korean as Seoul-dae , is a national research university in Seoul, Korea, ranked 24th in the world in publications in an analysis of data from the Science Citation Index, 7th in Asia and 42nd in the world by the 2011 QS World University Rankings...
. He first came to prominence as the composer of the tune "Achim Isul" ' onMouseout='HidePop("5034")' href="/topics/Morning_dew">Morning dew
Morning dew
Morning dew can refer to:*Dew*"Morning Dew", a song by Bonnie Dobson that was covered multiple times* "Morning Dew", a song from the album "Day and Night" by Schiller *Slang for sexual arousal in a woman, comparable to morning wood for a man...
"), which was written in 1970 and performed by Korean folk singer
Folk Singer
Folk Singer is a 1964 album by Muddy Waters. Waters plays acoustic guitar, backed by Willie Dixon on string bass, Clifton James on drums, and Buddy Guy on acoustic guitar...
Yang Hee-eun. The song was a major pop music hit in Korea in the 1970s, and Min-ki became a prominent figure in blending Korean folk and pop musics, as well as an outspoken political activist and representative of youth culture. Min-ki's songs discussed the Americanization
Americanization
Americanization is the influence of the United States on the popular culture, technology, business practices, or political techniques of other countries. The term has been used since at least 1907. Inside the U.S...
of Korean culture and questioned relations between North and South Korea, and his lyrical and musical style were a major influence on the genre known as Norae Undong ("Song Movement") which became popular in the 1980s. He released nine albums before 1975, at which time his music was censored
Censorship
thumb|[[Book burning]] following the [[1973 Chilean coup d'état|1973 coup]] that installed the [[Military government of Chile |Pinochet regime]] in Chile...
by the government; his albums were pulled from record stores, playing of his music over the radio or singing it in public was banned, and he was not permitted to release material under his own name. He composed the music for a 1981 film, The Ball Shot by a Midget, which was not permitted to be used by government censors who reviewed the film. This moratorium continued until June 26, 1987, when all restrictions on the performance of his material were lifted.
During his period of censorship, Min-ki turned to writing plays, which began to be performed after 1987. He also formed an acting troupe, Hakchon, which performs musicals he composed. His rock musical
Rock musical
A rock musical is a musical theatre work with rock music. The genre of rock musical may overlap somewhat with album musicals, concept albums and song cycles, as they sometimes tell a story through the rock music, and some album musicals and concept albums become rock musicals...
, Line 1, was first performed in 1994, and has been given over 1,000 times in Korea, as well as being performed in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
, and Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
.