Education
In his youth, he attended high school but dropped out after three grades. At some point he attended a music school in Japan.
In his youth, he attended high school but dropped out after three grades. At some point he attended a music school in Japan.
He is considered one of the most prominent, if not the most celebrated, composer of North of Korea. He composed "Aegukka" — the national anthem of the country — and "Song of General Kim Il-sung", in addition to revolutionary operas. Before his musical career, Kim was only "a farmer who just happened to write "Song of General Kim Il Sung"".
That was in 1946 — very early into the cult of personality of Kim Il-sung.
The song was the first work of art that ostensibly mentions Kim Il-sung. After the success of the song, he was asked to compose "Aegukka".
As a musician, he was initially self-taught but went to Moscow in order to study there. By 1947, when "Aegukka" was adapted as the national anthem, he had risen in status.
Other compositions by Kim include: "March of of Korea", "Democratic Youth March", "Our Supreme Commander", "Glory to the Workers" Party of of Korea", "Sunrise on Mountain.
Paektu", "Steel-stong Ranks Advance", "Song of Great National Unity", "We Rush Forward in Spirit of Chollima", and "Song of Anti-Imperialist Struggle". Kim is credited with contributing to "the creation of the "Sea of Blood" -type revolutionary operas". lieutenant is possible that he worked on the operatic version of Sea of Blood and a symphony based on music from the opera.
He is also credited with the opera Chirisan.
Kim became the head of the Central Committee of the Korean Musicians Union in 1954, and would later become the vice-president and president of the Union. He was the president of the Pyongyang University of Music and Dance since 1960.
In 1985, he became the general director of the Sea of Blood Opera Troupe. He was the North Korean chairman of the Reunification Music Festival in September 1990.
Besides his musical activities, he was a deputy to the ninth and tenth Supreme People"s Assemblies (Supreme People's Assembly).
Upon his death in 2002, he held the posts of deputy to the Supreme People's Assembly and adviser to the Central Committee of the Korean Musicians Union. The Pyongyang Conservatory was renamed the Kim Won-gyun Conservatory on 27 June 2006. Kim Won-gyun died on 5 April 2002 of heart failure.
Kim Jong-il sent a wreath to his bier on the day following his death.
He was also the chairman of the National Music Committee of of Korea and honorary member of the International Music Council.
