Album honors legendary singer-songwriter Kim Min-ki

K-pop idol Red Velvet's Wendy records vocals for a tribute album for Kim Min-ki in this undated photo. The first set of the album's tracks will be released on Sunday, 6 p.m. Courtesy of GyeongGi Cultural Foundation

By Park Ji-won

A tribute album honoring legendary singer songwriter, Kim Min-ki, will be partially released on Sunday 6 p.m. via music streaming platforms, the GyeongGi Cultural Foundation said. Kim, not only a musician but also an outspoken political activist, was met with great resistance from Korea's corrupt leaderships resulting in his music becoming subject to a more than decade-long ban on performance and record sales from 1975 under the then-authoritarian regime.

The state-run foundation said it will release the first set of songs, which include four of Kim's songs sung by four different singers: “Facing the Barbed Wire Fence,“ sung by Maytree, “A Song of an Old Solider,” sung by Glass Box, “A Beautiful Human Being,” sung by NCT's Taeil and “The Peak,” sung by Han Young-ae.

The tribute album, consisting of 18 songs, was originally made as part of the foundation's project to remember the 50th anniversary of the release of "Achim Isul,” or morning dew in English, which was written and composed by Kim.

Since its release in 1970, the song has served as a symbolic anthem rallying pro-democracy protesters during authoritarian regimes. The song was first performed by singer songwriter Yang Hee-eun in her debut album in 1971, and was later widely sung as a song of protest. The ban on Kim's music was lifted in 1987 when nationwide protests forced then President Chun Doo-hwan to agree to democratic presidential elections.

In addition to the release, some four to five songs performed by other musicians will be released every week. Singers such as Na Youn-sun, People Looking for Songs, Ali, Red Velvet's Wendi, Leenalchi, Lee Eun-mi, Jang Pil-soon, Yoon Jong-shin and Yoon Do-hyun will join the project.

The project will draw 40 artists from various fields. The foundation will also hold concerts through various channels and an exhibition at the Seoul Arts Center between June 10 and 23.