Yasuo Namekawa, known professionally as Kangnam, is a South Korean-Japanese singer, dancer, TV personality, model and former member of KCB and M.I.B (엠아이비). He attended Yokohama International Christian Academy. His mother is South Korean, and his father is Japanese, but he spent most of his childhood in Japan and in Hawai'i.

He made his debut in March 2008 (under the stage name Ya-Cha) as the vocalist of the Japanese band KICK CHOP BUSTERS (KCB) with the single "A Rize", which was used as the OST for the Japanese dubbing of the US series "Beyond the Break". However, he left the band in 2010 for unknown reasons, without his parents' knowledge.

He made his debut in South Korea in October 2011 as M.I.B's main vocalist and dancer with their first album, "Most Incredible Busters". A week before, Jungle Entertainment (정글엔터테인먼트) released his solo song, "Say My Name", as part of a spin-off promotion to prove that each member was capable of standing alone.

In 2012, he made his acting debut with a role in the tvN sitcom "21st Century Family", and he became the host of the Japanese rendition of Mnet's Jjang.

M.I.B went on an indefinite hiatus after completing promotions for their second album, "The Maginot Line", in mid-2014. They never released any new material until the agency confirmed their disbandment in early 2017.

In March 2019, his agency confirmed that he and Olympic speed skater Lee Sang Hwa were dating. They married in October of that year.

In February 2022, he revealed that he had passed the naturalization exam and officially became a South Korean citizen. At the same time, he announced he would forfeit his Japanese nationality, which he did in early 2024.

He is the founder and CEO of ARMADA Entertainment (아마다엔트) and is represented by Sandbox Network (샌드박스 네트워크) for his YouTube content. He will resume his career as a singer as he signed with a new agency in Japan in November 2024.

(Source: MyDramaList) Edit Biography