The songs three brothers made are still finding new listeners

To younger viewers, Kim Chang-wan may be a familiar actor before anything else. Seeing him sing with a guitar can come as a surprise. Learning that he formed the rock band Sanullim with his younger brothers, Kim Chang-hoon and Kim Chang-ik, adds another dimension: the actor they know helped open up new ways of writing and singing in Korean popular music.

The beginning was surprisingly modest. The brothers might have made one record and returned to their separate lives. In 1977, their ambition was not necessarily to become a famous, enduring band. Kim Chang-wan later recalled that they wanted a souvenir album of the songs they had written and played at home, to share with relatives and friends. But that record included “아니 벌써” and “문 좀 열어줘.” People outside their circle began seeking it out. ¹

The song that brings Sanullim to mind differs from listener to listener: the extended playing on “내 마음에 주단을 깔고,” perhaps, or “청춘” (“Youth”). For others it is the childhood song “산할아버지,” or “너의 의미” (“Meaning of You”), sung by IU and Kim Chang-wan. These different songs all lead to the same band. That breadth is a useful starting point for considering Sanullim’s place in Korean popular music.

From songs at home to a record heard outside

The eldest brother, Kim Chang-wan, played guitar and sang; Kim Chang-hoon played bass and sang; the youngest, Kim Chang-ik, played drums. They rehearsed and wrote their own songs at home. They entered a university song contest under the name Mui, but could not reach the final stage because Chang-wan had already graduated. ¹

That year, Sand Pebbles won the first College Song Festival with “나 어떡해,” written by Kim Chang-hoon. The brothers’ own band had not won, but their music had already reached a major stage through another group. Treating Sanullim as simply Kim Chang-wan with two younger brothers providing accompaniment misses an important songwriter from the outset. ²

They became Sanullim when they released their first album through Seorabeol Records. The 1977 debut found an audience with “아니 벌써.” Korean rock already had pioneering musicians such as Shin Jung-hyun, but many faced restrictions after the 1975 cannabis crackdown. Sanullim arrived with their own songs on record and onstage. They did not invent Korean rock, but offered another possibility to listeners waiting for a new kind of band. ³

Sanullim — 아니 벌써 · Official audio

Another way to write a song

Bae Cheol-soo’s recollection explains their originality more directly than a genre label. He singled out the prose-like language of their lyrics: ordinary, conversational sentences appeared where polished rhymes might have been expected, and simple chords could carry a song. Listening to Sanullim showed him another way of making music. ⁴

That does not mean their message was simply that being unskilled was fine. They had clear words, memorable melodies and years of playing their own songs together. Their unadorned singing fitted the music. Younger musicians could hear the possibility of finding a style without copying a famous singer’s delivery.

Their second album brought “내 마음에 주단을 깔고.” Its extended instrumental opening keeps the listener waiting for the voice, unlike a song that rushes into its first line. Sanullim made that waiting part of the music, and listeners embraced it. The song shows that experimentation and popular appeal need not be separate. ⁴

Sanullim — 내 마음에 주단을 깔고 · Official audio

The third album went further. Released in 1978, it devoted an entire LP side to the more than 18-minute “그대는 이미 나.” Kim Chang-hoon’s writing and singing are prominent on this record. Its rough, driving guitar, bass and drums might surprise anyone whose introduction to Sanullim was the much gentler “너의 의미.” ⁵

That contrast reveals their range. The same musicians who wrote short, easy-to-sing songs could devote a whole side of a record to an extended performance. Listening only to their gentle songs, or only to their experimental rock, means hearing half the band.

Sanullim — 그대는 이미 나 · Official audio

Sanullim was in children’s songs, too

You did not have to like rock to encounter their music. Their first children’s album in 1979 included “개구장이,” and the second in 1981 included “산할아버지.” More followed. Even the credits for their collected children’s recordings show that this was sustained work rather than a one-off diversion. ⁶

Children do not need a band’s reputation or a verdict from music history before singing along. Some will have learned the songs before learning the name Sanullim. Rock listeners and children encountered the same musicians in different parts of their lives. Those encounters matter as much as the names of later bands when considering Sanullim’s influence.

The brothers could not always work together. When the younger two were serving in the military, Chang-wan took the central role. After they reunited came songs including “청춘,” “내게 사랑은 너무 써” and “회상.” “너의 의미” appeared on their tenth album in 1984. Their growing catalogue could no longer be described solely in terms of the unfamiliar, rough sounds of their early records. ³⁷

Sanullim — 청춘 · Official audio

The music continued as their lives changed

The albums continued, but all three brothers were not always involved. Chang-wan was the only brother to participate in the eleventh and twelfth albums. They reunited in 1997 for their thirteenth, “무지개,” which included “기타로 오토바이를 타자.” Even the title, about riding a motorcycle on a guitar, retained the playfulness of a band returning together 20 years after its debut. ⁷⁸

Sanullim — 기타로 오토바이를 타자 · Official audio

Younger bands also began making Sanullim’s songs their own. Sinawe, Jaurim, Yoon Do-hyun Band and Deli Spice were among the participants on a 1999 tribute album. ⁷ The “리본 산울림” project followed in 2011. Crying Nut re-recorded “아니 벌써,” and Chang-wan welcomed the younger musicians’ individual interpretations. ⁹

The interest goes beyond famous musicians paying their respects. Different bands could take the same song and give it their own character. A Sanullim tribute does not have to sound like Sanullim: the songs can remain compelling in other hands.

After the brothers could no longer play together

All three performed together at their 30th-anniversary concerts in 2006. In January 2008, however, Kim Chang-ik died in a workplace accident in Vancouver, Canada. ³¹⁰

Chang-wan later said that Sanullim no longer existed. To him, it was not a band that could continue simply by retaining the name or replacing a musician. He did keep making music, starting the Kim Chang-wan Band that same year. He distinguished the band he had formed with his brothers from the one he now played in with new colleagues. ⁹¹¹

The youngest brother’s death is an essential part of this history, but it should not overshadow everything the three made together. Their years of playing left songs full of delight, oddness and affection. Chang-ik should also be remembered as the drummer who helped make the music listeners still return to.

Another generation made the songs its own

IU’s 2014 album A Flower Bookmark included “너의 의미” (“Meaning of You”), featuring Kim Chang-wan. Her voice joined the original singer’s on Sanullim’s 1984 song. An official recording-session video shows them finding their way through it together. ¹²¹³

IU — Meaning of You (Feat. Kim Chang-wan) · Official 1theK music clip

Someone who never experienced Sanullim releasing records can still hear this as a song for their own romance. They do not need an explanation of their parents’ memories to enjoy it. An older song reaches a new generation when people choose it for how they feel now, rather than merely learn its release date.

Leaving both these familiar songs and their earlier rough-edged rock gave Sanullim an influence that works in many directions. One musician may take inspiration from the lyrics, another from the ensemble, another from the approach to songwriting. The band cannot easily be contained within one genre or one generation’s memories.

In 2026, the two brothers are still making new music

The story is not only a retrospective. The Kim Chang-wan Band released the single “Seventy” in 2026. At a press conference that year, Chang-wan said he hoped the band would carry on Sanullim’s legacy. He continues by performing older songs while also writing new ones. ¹⁴

Kim Chang-hoon has also kept working. His project setting poems to music, begun in 2021, reached 1,000 songs in June 2025. ¹⁵ Younger musicians continue contributing to the Sanullim 50th-anniversary remake project he leads. In July 2026, Cadejo released a new version of “그대는 이미 나.” A contemporary band choosing that extended 1978 song is itself evidence of Sanullim’s continuing presence. ¹⁶

Chang-hoon also formed a new band, 까망, with four musicians in their thirties. When this article was written on October 18, 2026, its first showcase had been announced for October 24 at Seoul’s Mpot Hall. He said he wanted an independent band rather than one that simply recreated Sanullim or his own music. Even while discussing what comes after Sanullim, he is leaving younger musicians room to make something of their own. ¹⁷¹⁸

Sanullim’s 1977 debut reaches its 50th anniversary in 2027. There is more to revisit than a handful of familiar songs. Listeners who love “너의 의미” could try “그대는 이미 나”; those drawn to the rough guitars could listen to the children’s songs. The three brothers’ recordings still offer different versions of the same band to discover.

Three people once made and played their own songs at home. People who grew up in other homes now sing those songs in their own voices. Remembering Sanullim can begin with listening to one more.