Singer Kim Gun-mo Returns After 6-Year Hiatus: "The Guitar Helped Me Stand Up Again"

The nation's singer, Kim Gun-mo, has returned.

He has released a new song for the first time in 10 years, but this time, it is not the Kim Gun-mo we remember playing the piano.

For the first time, he sang his own story while playing the guitar.

[Voice] (BGM plays after 5 seconds of "Where Are You Going") His new single, "Where Are You Going," is a remake of the song of the same name originally released by Jeon Young in 1977.

While preserving the lyrical nature of the original, the arrangement was kept minimal to focus on Kim's plain and sincere voice.

However, this song holds more meaning than just a simple remake.

For Kim, it is his first confession to the world after a long six-year hiatus and the starting point of his second musical life.

He was a national singer who represented the Korean music scene in the 1990s, sweeping album sales records and various grand prizes. However, he completely halted his activities in 2019 following sexual assault allegations raised by the YouTube channel Hover Lab.

After a two-year investigation, the prosecution cleared him of all charges due to a lack of evidence. With subsequent appeals and requests for adjudication also dismissed, Kim was legally cleared of all suspicions.

Still, the time he spent away from the stage was by no means short.

His marriage ended, and his music came to a stop.

Kim said he could not bring himself to touch the piano because it reminded him of the past.

Instead, he practiced the guitar for four to five hours a day and endured by cycling nearly 100km daily.

That time was not only for learning the guitar but also for picking himself back up.

Kim says this new song is neither a comeback nor a revival.

He describes it as the debut song of a guitar-playing Kim Gun-mo, rather than the piano-playing Kim Gun-mo.

The song also contains comfort for those who have lost family, friends, or precious people.

His solo concerts are also resuming.

Having sold out his nationwide tours last year and in March of this year, Kim will continue the concert momentum starting this August.

His attitude toward music has also changed.

Standing on stage again after a long silence, Kim expressed his hope for his remaining career: "Rather than building a tower toward the heights, I want to use the bricks of the collapsed tower to create a path for others to walk on."

This new song is becoming the first page announcing his second musical life.

Reported by Kang Kyung-youn | Video by Kim Hye-ju | Graphics by Yook Do-hyun | Produced by SBS Digital News
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.