Kim Hyung Suk, a distinguished Korean Music Producer and Composer, has been invited by the University of Oxford in the UK as a visiting researcher. Kim is one of the six artists who have been invited to serve as a special researcher by the Faculty of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies. This initiative has been taken under the newly started ‘Kellogg College Academic’ program in which the University invites world-class artists to collaborate with its scholars in research and creative pursuits. Starting this year, ten active leading artists will be invited every year under this program.
During his tenure at the university, Kim is going to be in charge of delivering lectures and performances regarding the subject of AI (Artificial Intelligence) and K-Pop. His first lecture and performance regarding his musical compositions is scheduled at Wolfson College on December 4. Responding to this news, Kim said, “This is not a personal achievement, but a recognition of K-Pop. I promise to make meaningful achievements in research on sustainable Hallyu at the world’s best research institute.” The music producer’s profile and biography as a visiting researcher are available on the official website of the University of Oxford.
Kim will also collaborate on research projects to work on the globalization of Hangul (the Korean alphabet) and the integration of K-Pop wave (Hallyu) with AI (Artificial Intelligence). These research projects will be conducted with the research teams of Jieun Kiaer who is the professor of Korean Linguistics at the University of Oxford.
Kim will additionally contribute to academic research and co-host K-Pop and Hallyu events at the Stephen A. Schwarzman Centre for the Humanities. This facility is scheduled to open next year to combine a large performance venue with humanities research. Further plans are in progress to establish a Hallyu center at the university in collaboration with Kiaer’s research team. These projects aim to promote the sustainable development of Korean culture.
The duo had also collaborated earlier in July this year to write and compose the ‘Ganada Song’ (also known as ‘Hangul Song’) and released it on around 200 major music streaming platforms including Spotify. The ‘Ganada Song’ blends Korean and English lyrics and was aimed to integrate K-Pop with education and make learning the Korean alphabet easier for people around the world. Kim also has permitted the research teams at Oxford to use his copyrighted 1400 songs for free.
In July, the University of Oxford also hosted Kim Hyung Suk at the 350-year-old Sheldonian Hall, marking the first time an Asian pop artist performed at the historic venue. The hall is generally used for graduation ceremonies and Western classical music. The event saw Kim talking about the future of K-Pop, AI in music, the rise of virtual singers in the metaverse, and their intertwining with education. Furthermore, Kim also performed a small concert singing his hits on the stage. Kim and Kiaer are also expected to partner for many future projects.
Kim Hyung Suk, who debuted in 1989 as a music composer, has shaped the Korean music industry for over twenty years and has mentored many prominent K-pop personalities like JYP and Bang Si Hyuk. He has dominated the K-Pop industry with ballads and dance tracks and has over 1400 songs to his credit. Kim has founded and led various education programs to emphasize sustainable K-Pop through learning in Korea and overseas. Some of these include the establishment of the Partial Music Department at Howon University and the ‘Hyung Suk Kim Class’ at the MI (Musicians Institute) in the United States. Besides that, he was also featured in a K-Pop documentary which was produced by the esteemed Stanford University. He has also been honored with numerous awards along with the prestigious 2012 Korea Popular Culture and Arts Awards Prime Minister’s Commendation. Presently, he is working with Disney on a musical project collaboration that aims for a fusion between K-Pop with Disney music.
Written by – Jasleen Kaur
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