Following his voice-studies at the Hanyang University in his home town Seoul, the young South Korean tenor came to Germany, where he was chosen to join master classes at the Academy of Music in Munich with Prof. Helmut Deutsch and others.

Wookyung Kim has been awarded several prizes in various international competitions, such as First Prize in the Belvedere-Competition (Vienna), Francisco-Viñas-Competition (Barcelona) and Plácido Domingo-Competition OPERALIA in Los Angeles.

Since 2003/04 until 2007  Wookyung Kim joined the opera company of the Sächsische Staatsoper Dresden where he interpreted all major roles of his repertoire such as Tamino/Die Zauberflöte, Don Ottavio/Don Giovanni, Rodolfo/La Boheme, Sänger/ Der Rosenkavalier, Fenton/Falstaff, Ismaele/Nabucco, Macduff/Macbeth and Duca/ Rigoletto. In 2007 he sang Orombello in Beatrice di Tenda (in concert version) with Edita Gruberova in Dresden. In the same year he appeared for the first time at the Metropolitan Opera New York as Alfredo/La traviata, followed by debuts at the Bavarian State Opera as Tamino/Die Zauberflöte and at London’s Covent Garden as Duca/Rigoletto. During the following years Wookyung Kim appeared at Hamburg’s State Opera as Rodolfo/La Bohème, Alfredo/La traviata and Macduff/Macbeth, at Covent Garden as the Italian Singer/Der Rosenkavalier and again as Duca, at the Deutsche Oper Berlin as Rodolfo/La Bohème.

In Dresden’s new productions of Faust (title role), Ballo in maschera/Riccardo, Idomeneo (title role), Der fliegende Holländer /Erik Wookyung Kim added important roles to his repertory. He returned to Munich’s State Opera for La Bohème, Der Rosenkavalier, Simon Boccanegra/Adorno, Erik/The Flying Dutchman, Macduff/Macbeth. At Toulouse Opera he made his debut in the role of Tito/Clemenza di Tito and was a guest artist at Tokyo’s New National Theatre as Rodolfo/La Bohème and as Duca/Rigoletto. 

In 2013 the artist appeared for the first time at Milan’s Teatro alla Scala as Macduff/Macbeth and returned to Berlin’s Deutsche Oper as Riccardo/Un ballo in maschera.

He was also invited to Frankfurt’s Opera House for Simon Boccanegra, Don Carlo and Otello/Cassio, to Amsterdam as Macduff, to Teatro San Carlo in Naples as Narraboth/Salome.

He is also in high demand as a concert singer. His activities include: the Messa da Requiem by Verdi with the Munich Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of Lorin Maazel, at the Musikverein Vienna (Fabio Luisi conducting) and with the Tonkünstlerorchester Niederösterreich, a solo concert (Mozart arias) with the Munich Philharmonic under the baton of James Levine, or Rossini’s Stabat mater at the Salzburg Festival and in Bregenz. With the Bachakademie Stuttgart and M° Helmuth Rilling he participated in several tours.

Wookyung Kim’s highlights of the recent past include the role of Faust at the Florence Opera House, Carmen/Don José, Simon Boccanegra/Adorno, Rodolfo and Gabriele Adorno at the Bavarian State Opera Munich, La traviata and again Erik at the Semperoper Dresden, a role which he recently also sang with great success at the Vancouver Opera. Besides his professorship at the Conservatory in Seoul he also appears regularly in opera and concert performances at renowned venues in his home country.