| Kang Chun-hyok | |||||||||||
| Birth Place: | Onseong, North Korea | ||||||||||
| Known For: | Defection from North Korea | ||||||||||
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Kang Chun-hyok (강춘혁) is a North Korean defector, artist, and rapper. Kang defected during the late 1990s and early 2000s.
Kang was born in Onseong, North Hamgyong Province, North Korea.[1] [2]
Kang's father left North Korea for China in 1997 but was caught and imprisoned.[3] Kang was a kotjebi (homeless child).[4] When he was 9 or 10 years old he witnessed a public execution.[5] He ran away from home at age 13.[6]
Once Kang's father was released from prison, the family crossed the Tumen river to China in 1998. In 2001, the family were caught by the Chinese police. Kang bribed the Chinese officials, and travelled to South Korea via Vietnam and Cambodia. His family reunited with him in South Korea later that year.
He studied fine arts at Hongik University in Seoul.[7] [8]
In 2014, Kang appeared on series three of Show Me The Money. Following his appearance on the show, he began producing an album with Yang Dong-geun. Kang's raps are about his experiences in North Korea.[9] His art was showcased in the exhibition Kkotjebi in Bloom: North Korean Children's Flight to Freedom (꽃제비 날다 전시회) focusing on the experiences of being a homeless child. His work was shown alongside pieces by Sun Mu.[10] [11]
In 2016, he appeared on the TV show Abnormal Summit talking about his experiences defecting.[12]
Kang has released the songs 못 다한 이야기 (Feat 3mm) and For The Freedom (feat. 3mm, CarpeDiem) on YouTube in 2015 and 2016, respectively. In 2021 he released a song called Vendetta (Feat. 3mm).
| Year | Title | Network | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Show Me the Money | Mnet | Himself | Participant |
| 2016 | Non-Summit | JTBC | Himself | Guest |