Composer Kim Yongnyeon, Writer of Hye Eunyi's "Pinocchio," Dies at 82

Arranged Songs Including "Nostalgia" and "Leopard of Kilimanjaro"

Composer Kim Yongnyeon, who wrote Hye Eunyi's "Pinocchio" and arranged many 1980s hit songs including Cho Yongpil's "Leopard of Kilimanjaro," passed away on the 25th. He was 82 years old.

Kim Yongnyeon, composer. Provided by the family of Kim Yongnyeon.

According to popular music critic Park Sungseo and others on the 26th, Kim Yongnyeon collapsed from sudden respiratory distress near his home the previous afternoon while returning home after attending the general meeting of the Korea Music Copyright Association. He was taken to a hospital but ultimately did not recover.

Born in Seoul in 1944, he began his career in August 1969 as an organ player in the six-member rock band Rolling Six, which he formed to perform shows for U.S. troops stationed in Vietnam. He later joined the rock band B-Blue, and in 1972 he became a keyboard player for the five-member group Jokers.

From the 1980s onward, Kim devoted himself in earnest to arranging. He handled the arrangements for many hit songs written by star composer Kim Heegap, including Lee Dongwon and Park Insoo's "Nostalgia," Choi Jinhee's "Maze of Love," and Lim Jurie's "Put On Thick Lipstick." Songs such as Kim Soohee's "Southbound Train," Tae Jinah's "Okkyung," and Seol Undo's "The Lost 30 Years" also passed through his hands.

Over his lifetime, he worked on a total of 3,700 songs, including lyrics, composition, and arrangement. When working as a composer, he used the stage name Kim Namgyun. He wrote "Pinocchio," as well as Park Insoo and Lee Sooyong's "Theme of Love" and Yoo Ikjong's "Andante of Memories."

He is survived by his spouse Kim Jiwon and their children, Kim Donggeon and Minji. The funeral parlor has been set up in Room 14 of the funeral hall at Samsung Medical Center in Seoul. The funeral procession will take place at 7 a.m. on the 28th.