Kim Kwang-seok

Kim Kwang-seok (김광석, 1956 to 2026) was a South Korean folk singer and guitarist from Incheon, a founding member of the group Solgae, later known as Solgae Trio and then Sorisae (소리새). With his bandmates he sang two of the best-loved Korean folk-pop songs of the 1980s, "Still Unfinished Love" (아직도 못다한 사랑) and "You and I" (그대 그리고 나). He died on the morning of 3 November 2026, aged 70.

He should not be confused with the far more widely known folk singer-songwriter Kim Kwang-seok (1964 to 1996). The two men shared the same name and worked in overlapping folk circles, and Korean press coverage routinely notes that they are different people.

Born in Incheon in 1956, Kim began performing in his home city with fellow singer Hwang Young-ik under the name Jjanmul Gypsy (짠물집시), a playful nod to the Incheon nickname "jjanmul" (salt water). In 1980 the pair joined forces with Han Jeong-seon, a prize winner at the 3rd TBC Youth Song Festival, to form the trio Solgae. According to Hwang, the trio's first concert took place in December 1980 at the Dolce small theatre in Incheon, and an introduction from Han to Ahn Chi-haeng of Anta Records led to a recording deal within weeks. The debut album, led by the track "From the Play" (연극중에서), appeared in January 1981.

Solgae did not stay within folk. Music critic Park Seong-seo and contemporary reports describe a group that moved through rock ("From the Play"), trot-tinged ballads, reggae, R&B, country folk and progressive sounds. The song that made their name was "Still Unfinished Love", written and composed by Han Jeong-seon. Military service interrupted the group soon after the debut, and they regrouped in 1983. In 1985 they released a second album, "Woman" (여인), under the name Solgae Trio, followed by a third album, "You Are a Lonely Shadow" (넌 외로운 그림자).

Han Jeong-seon's health declined and he left in 1987. Singer Han Young joined, and in 1988 the group renamed itself Sorisae, meaning "sound bird". Their first Sorisae release on Anta Records contained "You and I", a lyrical ballad with soft vocal harmonies that became a national hit and remains a karaoke and live cafe staple. Hwang later said the record sold more than a million copies but that the members earned nothing from it, as was common in the Korean music business at the time. The song's popularity also brought the group a small screen role as friends of Choi Min-soo's rocker character in the film "The Last Dance with You" (그대와의 마지막 춤을).

Kim released a solo album, "I Will Love" (사랑하려네), in 1990. From 1992 he and Hwang worked as a duo, and after Han Young left in 1994 they carried Sorisae forward together, releasing songs such as "With Unforgettable Longing" (잊혀지지 않는 그리움으로), "Log Cabin" (통나무집), "Letter in May" (오월의 편지) and "On the Day Flowers Bloom" (꽃이 피는 날에는). The two parted in 2001 after about two decades together, and from then on two separate duos performed under the Sorisae name: Hwang with Shin Sung-chul (and later with Han Young), and Kim with singer Yoon Ki-hwan.

With Yoon, Kim kept Sorisae on the road for more than two decades, playing folk concerts across the country and appearing on broadcast music programmes. The duo devoted much of its stage time to benefit concerts, including shows supporting child-headed households, the organ donation movement and well digging projects in Africa. In 2015, to mark the 70th anniversary of Korea's liberation, Kim and Yoon released the album "River of Peace (Songs Sent to the Northern Land)" (평화의 강 (북녘땅에 보내는 노래)), a collection framed around hopes for peace and reunification on the Korean peninsula.

Kim's health deteriorated after the COVID-19 pandemic, and from 2023 he was treated for a brain lesion disability (뇌병변 장애). He died on the morning of 3 November 2026 at the age of 70. The news was shared by music critic Park Seong-seo and reported by Yonhap, Newsis, Hankyoreh and other outlets. His mourning hall was set up in special room 1 of the Kyowon Yeum Incheon Sarang Hospital funeral hall, with the funeral procession on 4 November at 1pm. Details of his family have not been made public.

Paying tribute, Park Seong-seo said the music of Solgae, Solgae Trio and Sorisae carried a free spirit that refused to be tied to one genre, and that Kim Kwang-seok stood at the centre of those years. For many Korean listeners, his warm harmonies on "You and I" remain one of the defining sounds of 1980s folk-pop.