In 2003 the rock band THE CROSS (더크로스) released its first album, "Melody Quus." One of its songs, "Don't Cry," reaches a top note above the third octave, and the voice that carries it belongs to the band's vocalist, Kim Hyuk Gun (김혁건).
This profile is for readers meeting Kim Hyuk Gun for the first time. It sets out, year by year, how his name is written, his debut, his bands and solo albums, his broadcasts and stages, and his books and lectures.
01.The Name: 김혁건 and KIM HYUK GUN
His name is written 김혁건 in Korean, and the official English spelling is KIM HYUK GUN. The same spelling appears on the covers of his solo albums "Warrior" and "When You Need." For accurate search results, search for "THE CROSS Kim Hyuk Gun" (더크로스 김혁건).
02.THE CROSS: A Debut for Two
Kim Hyuk Gun won the Grand Prize in the Rock Solo category at the 2001 Mnet Music Festival, and in 2003 he debuted with member Lee Si-ha (이시하) on THE CROSS's first album, "Melody Quus." With that debut the band earned the nickname "supreme vocalist" (보컬의 지존).
The story of the signature song "Don't Cry," its 2003 broadcast stages and the 2023 version are gathered in Don't Cry: The 2003 Original and the 2023 Anniversary Recording.
03.Rockband Cross's "It's Raining" and the Solo Albums
In 2005 Kim Hyuk Gun formed Rockband Cross (락밴드 크로스) with fellow musicians. The band's main title song is "It's Raining" (비가와). Released as a single on November 1, 2005, with lyrics, music and arrangement all by Kim Hyuk Gun, it carried on as the title song of the 2006 studio album "Rebirth" and, in the same year, as "It's Raining (New Ver.)," the title song of "Legend." In 2006 the band also released "Goal! Corea!"
As a solo artist he released his first album, "Warrior" (나만의 그대), on November 1, 2007, and his second, "When You Need," on October 21, 2011.
04.Back on Stage, 2014–2020
A traffic accident in 2012 brought Kim Hyuk Gun's career to a halt. In October 2014 he returned to the stage singing "Don't Cry" on SBS "Star King," and at the end of that year he announced that he and Lee Si-ha were working together on a new album, their first collaboration in nine years.
He went on to win on KBS2 "Immortal Songs" in 2017–2018 and sang the national anthem at the opening ceremony of the PyeongChang 2018 Winter Paralympics. On February 14, 2020, THE CROSS sang "Don't Cry" again on JTBC "Sugar Man 3." His full broadcast history is in On Broadcast: Programs, Dates and Sources.
05.Twenty Years On, and Today
For the 20th anniversary project in 2023 he released "Don't Cry (2023)," "Poem of the Wind" (바람의 시) and "To Reach You" (너에게 닿기를). In December of that year, on JTBC "Re:Alive," he shared the stage with a digital twin that restored the vocal range of his prime. The full story is in THE CROSS 20th Anniversary Project.
THE CROSS's songs continued after that. "A Little Ball Launched by a Dwarf" (난장이가 쏘아올린 작은공) in 2024 and "Interlude of Farewell" (이별의 간주곡) in 2025 were released under the name THE CROSS, and in 2024 he also released the solo single "Just One Step (Comfort)" (한걸음만 (위로)). On the live stage, THE CROSS BAND (더크로스 밴드), with guitarist Han Seung-ju (한승주) and drummer Kang Sun-woo (강선우), plays Kim Hyuk Gun's songs, and the band stood with him at the 2024 Busan International Rock Festival. More about the band is on the THE CROSS BAND page.
06.Books and the Lecture Hall
He published the vocal method book "Cross Kim Hyuk Gun Vocal Lessons" (크로스 김혁건 보컬강좌) in 2014 and the essay collection "You Can Do It" (넌 할 수 있어) in 2016. In 2019 he earned a Ph.D. in Applied Arts (Practical Music) from the Graduate School of Kyung Hee University, and since September 2020 he has been an adjunct professor in the Department of Social Welfare at Osan University (as of October 2026).
His corporate talks include talks at the Hyundai·Kia new-employee training retreats held at Haevichi in Jeju from 2015 to 2017, the closing talk at the 2017 FKI CEO Summer Forum, and a 2018 talk at Samsung Electronics headquarters in Suwon. He also continues to perform and speak at universities, public institutions and churches. The song, book and talk that share one title are sorted out in "You Can Do It": The Song, the Book, and the Talk, and booking requests are handled on the performance and lecture booking page.
07.Timeline
| Year | Record |
|---|---|
| 2001 | Grand Prize, Rock Solo category, Mnet Music Festival |
| 2003 | Debut with THE CROSS's first album "Melody Quus" and "Don't Cry" |
| 2005 | Forms Rockband Cross · single "It's Raining" |
| 2007 | First solo album "Warrior" (나만의 그대) |
| 2011 | Second solo album "When You Need" |
| 2014 | Returns to the stage on SBS "Star King" · vocal method book "Cross Kim Hyuk Gun Vocal Lessons" |
| 2015 | Single "You Can Do It" |
| 2016 | Essay collection "You Can Do It" |
| 2017–2018 | Wins on KBS2 "Immortal Songs" · talks at the FKI CEO Summer Forum (2017) and Samsung Electronics headquarters in Suwon (2018) |
| 2020 | JTBC "Sugar Man 3" · adjunct professor, Department of Social Welfare, Osan University |
| 2023 | 20th anniversary project · JTBC "Re:Alive" |
| 2024 | Busan International Rock Festival · "Just One Step (Comfort)" · "A Little Ball Launched by a Dwarf" |
| 2025 | "Interlude of Farewell" |
His music is available on THE CROSS's official YouTube channel, THE CROSS OFFICIAL, and on the Music page.
A singer who recorded his 2003 debut song again in 2023 — Kim Hyuk Gun's story is still being written on stage.