Kang Chun-hyok (강춘혁) is a

North Korean defector Since the division of Korea after the end of World War II, North Koreans have fled from the country in spite of legal punishment for political, ideological, religious, economic, moral, personal, or nutritional reasons. Such North Koreans are re ...

artist An artist is a person engaged in an activity related to creating art, practicing the arts, or demonstrating an art. The common usage in both everyday speech and academic discourse refers to a practitioner in the visual arts only. However, th ...

, and

rapper Rapping (also rhyming, spitting, emceeing or MCing) is a musical form of vocal delivery that incorporates "rhyme, rhythmic speech, and street vernacular". It is performed or chanted, usually over a backing beat or musical accompaniment. The ...

. Kang defected during the late 1990s and early 2000s.

Life in North Korea

Kang was born in Onseong. Kang's father left North Korea for China in 1997 but was caught and

imprisoned Imprisonment is the restraint of a person's liberty, for any cause whatsoever, whether by authority of the government, or by a person acting without such authority. In the latter case it is "false imprisonment". Imprisonment does not necessari ...

. Kang was a kotjebi (homeless child). When he was 9 or 10 years old he witnessed a

public execution A public execution is a form of capital punishment which "members of the general public may voluntarily attend." This definition excludes the presence of only a small number of witnesses called upon to assure executive accountability. The purpose ...

. He ran away from home at age 13. Once Kang's father was released from prison, the family crossed the

Tumen river The Tumen River, also known as the Tuman River or Duman River (), is a long river that serves as part of the boundary between China, North Korea and Russia, rising on the slopes of Mount Paektu and flowing into the Sea of Japan. The river has ...

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

in 1998. In 2001, the family were caught by the Chinese police. Kang bribed the Chinese officials, and travelled to

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...

via

Vietnam Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making i ...

and

Cambodia Cambodia (; also Kampuchea ; km, កម្ពុជា, UNGEGN: ), officially the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochinese Peninsula in Southeast Asia, spanning an area of , bordered by Thailand t ...

. His family reunited with him in South Korea later that year.

Life in South Korea

He has studied fine arts at

Hongik University Hongik University (, colloquially ''Hongdae'') is a private university in Seoul, South Korea. Founded by an activist in 1946, the university is located in Mapo-gu district of central Seoul, South Korea with a second campus(branch campus) in S ...

. In 2014, Kang appeared on series three of ''Show Me The Money''. Following his appearance on the show,

Yang Dong-geun Yang Dong-geun (; born June 1, 1979) or YDG is a South Korean actor, rapper, singer-songwriter, record producer, and breakdancer. Yang majored in Theatrical Performance at Yong-In University. Biography Yang enlisted for mandatory military ser ...

has been producing an album with Kang. Kang's raps are about his experiences in North Korea. His art was showcased in the exhibition ''꽃제비 날다 전시회'' (Kkotjebi in Bloom: North Korean Children’s Flight to Freedom) focusing on the experiences of kotjebi alongside pieces by

Sun Mu Sun Mu is a Korean painter. He worked as a propaganda artist in North Korea before fleeing to South Korea in the 1990s. Personal history Sun Mu was born in North Korea and trained by the North Korean Army as a propaganda artist. Later he studied ...

. In 2016, he appeared on the TV show '' Abnormal Summit'' talking about his experiences defecting.

Discography

Kang has released the songs ''못 다한 이야기 (Feat 3mm)'' and ''For The Freedom (feat. 3mm, CarpeDiem)'' on

YouTube YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...

in 2015 and 2016, respectively. In 2021 he released a song called ''Vendetta (Feat. 3mm)''.

Filmography

Television series

Notes

References

External links

* {{North Korean defectors North Korean defectors Living people South Korean male rappers 1986 births