Veteran South Korean folk singer Kim Kwang-seok, a longtime member of the group SoriSae, has died at the age of 70, OSEN reported on November 4.
According to OSEN, Kim died on the morning of November 3. The report said his health had worsened after the COVID-19 pandemic and that he had been battling a brain lesion disorder since 2023. It did not give a place of death or further medical details.
The report said his funeral hall has been set up at Kyowon Yeyum Incheon Sarang Hospital Funeral Hall, in special room No. 1, with the funeral procession scheduled for 1 p.m. on November 4. No burial location was given in the report.
No official statement from Kim’s family or agency was available in the OSEN report. The news was shared by music critic Park Sung-seo on social media, who said Kim’s health had declined after the pandemic and that he had fought a brain lesion disorder since 2023.
Kim was born in Incheon in 1956 and built his career in South Korea’s folk scene over several decades. Early on, he performed in Incheon with fellow singer Hwang Young-ik under the name Jjanmul Jipsi, before moving into a formal group career.
In 1980, Kim formed the trio Solgae with Han Jung-sun, and the group officially debuted in 1981. The song “Ajikdo Motdahan Sarang,” written and composed by Han, became a major hit and remains associated with Solgae’s early identity. The group changed its name to Solgae Trio in 1985.
After Han left in 1987, Han Young joined in 1988 and the group adopted the name SoriSae. Under that name, the song “Geudae Geurigo Na” became a major hit and one of the defining songs linked to Kim’s career. When Han Young left in 1994, Kim and Hwang continued SoriSae as a duo.
From 2000 onward, Yoon Gi-hwan joined the group, and SoriSae combined music with charity concerts supporting children from single-parent families, organ donation campaigns, and well-digging projects in Africa. In 2015, Kim and Yoon released the album “Pyeonghwa-ui Gang” as a duo to mark the 70th anniversary of Korea’s liberation.
Kim’s death closes a career that moved from Incheon’s folk stages through Solgae and into the long-running SoriSae name, with charity work forming a notable part of his later years.
