Hyunmin ‘Michael’ Kang is a musical composer, producer, and singer-songwriter based in Busan, South Korea. Leaving behind his Ph.D. program in political science, he has been in the music industry for four years and since then has written music for over 20 musicals and theatrical performances. Hyunmin was recommended by the U.S. Embassy in South Korea to participant in the U.S. Department of State’s International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) for his active role in bringing local communities in Korea and Japan together through music and raising public awareness about South Korea’s democratization movement. He has produced for HUE, South Korea's very first crossover duet, and has traveled throughout Japan and Korea to hold music performances that promote the value of Korea-Japan friendship. Hyunmin has also been active in raising public awareness about democracy through music by writing songs for “Buma: The Forgotten Name” and creating the orchestral rearrangement of “March for the Beloved” for the 40th anniversary of the May 18 Democratic Uprising. He continues to work closely with theatres and artists to make a musical exposé of various social issues in South Korea such as gaslighting, post-traumatic stress disorder, depression and Korean expatriates separated through war and history.

2023 IVLP Impact Award Project: Korea-Japan Song of Friendship (Continued)

Hyunmin was selected as an Impact Award recipient for the second time for his unique project, the Korea-Japan Song of Friendship, which created new music and established new relationships among artists in Korea and Japan. His work continued to use music as an effective bridge that connected people from Korea and Japan to engage with one another and create further opportunities to share what is in their hearts about building a solid Korea-Japan community.

Hyunmin’s second version of the Korea Japan Song of Friendship project involved nine musicians and singers across two concert performances. In the first performance, 70 people attended a weeknight performance in a jazz club in Fukuoka, Japan in early November 2023, exceeding the venue's normal capacity. The main concert was held at the Mahoroba Hall, in Dazaifu, Japan later that month, with 200 audience members. One of the Korean musicians involved in the project reflected, "It was such an honor to be a part of this historical moment of Korea-Japan cultural exchange."

Hyunmin also participated in a panel discussion with other Awardees who implemented both 2022 and 2023 IIA projects as part of the IVLP Impact Awards Alumni Discussion Series panel on “Sustainable Community Impact” which you can read more about here.

2023 KOREA-JAPAN SONG OF FRIENDSHIP

KOREA-JAPAN FRIENDSHIP MEDLY

"This project has been very meaningful: bringing musicians and artists from Korea and Japan [together]. " - Project Participant

2022 IVLP Impact Award Project: Korea-Japan Song of Friendship

The project focused on bringing artists from Korea and Japan to engage in a mutual process of writing a song of friendship as a symbol of going beyond political barriers to engage in constructive Track II diplomacy and to achieve mutual understanding about various issues surrounding Korea-Japan relations. 

Writing a song is not just about “writing a song.” It is more a series of discussions, debates and even disputes over what words one chooses to put in the lyrics and what inspirations one will borrow to come up with the melodies. Writing a song, especially one that delves into the friendship between Korea and Japan, therefore served as a chance to start a meaningful discussion among participants on the subject as they delved into the question of how to create music to which both Korean and Japanese people could relate. 

The song is posted on two YouTube channels (both linked below) one of which has more than 30,000 subscribers, mostly from South Korea and Japan to promote the values of friendship and non-political engagement between the two countries. 

Through this initiative, Hyunmin helped the participants from Korea and Japan to acquire a better understanding of each other while gaining a song to always remember each other by. The song will also continue to gain significant exposure on YouTube and hopefully impact many others to work to bring the two countries closer to each other without relying directly on politics. 

2022 KOREA-JAPAN SONG OF FRIENDSHIP (KOREAN VERSION)

2022 KOREA-JAPAN SONG OF FRIENDSHIP (JAPANESE VERSION)

"During our [2022] engagement process, we were able to smoothly transition into talking about some sensitive issues regarding Korea-Japan relations as we discussed the lyrics and the underlying message they had to carry. It has led us to talk about our respective history in Korea and Japan, and how lack of engagement might have caused us to believe in certain misunderstandings that we had toward each other." - Hyunmin Kang

IVLP Exchange Experience 

Hyunmin was a participant in the IVLP Project A Global Moment in Time - Peace and Justice in 2021 and 2023, both organized by the U.S. Department of State and the Institute of International Education.

Hyunmin's exchange experience led to the development of his IVLP Impact Award Project: "At an IVLP virtual session, I was amazed at how some American artists engaged with people from other disciplines to create unexpected but meaningful results, and that inspired me to make full use of my former career as a political scholar, even if I am working in a completely different field today."

"The IVLP Impact Awards also have given me the greatest 'excuse' to contact numerous individuals, agencies, and institutions to support my cause." - Hyunmin Kang

U.S. Communities Visited in 2023

Washington, DC; Miami, FL; Portland, OR

U.S. Communities Visited in 2021

Los Angeles, CA; San Diego, CA; Washington DC; Atlanta, GA; Louisville, KY; Boston, MA; Detroit, MI; Minneapolis, MN; New York City, NY; Tulsa, OK; Philadelphia, PA

"The IVLP experience has brought me new ideas and broader views about how I could use my skills as a former political scholar and a current composer." - Hyunmin Kang

Country: South Korea

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