Singer Shim Soo-bong apologizes for the controversy over public criticism of his junior Kim Da-hyun... “I made a mistake”

“It was a literal slip of the tongue, and it hurt my junior’s feelings… I apologize.”

(Seoul = Yonhap News) Reporter Lee Tae-su and Kim Seon-woo = Singer Shim Soo-bong (71) apologized after it became known belatedly that he had publicly criticized junior singer Kim Da-hyun (17) at a local event, calling her "a young lady who knows neither singing nor life."

According to the music industry on the 21st, Shim Soo-bong went on stage following Kim Da-hyun at a local trot festival.

Before singing, Shim Soo-bong said, "The girl who sang in front of me made my head dizzy. It seems like the young lady doesn't know what singing is or what life is. I felt very strong while listening to the song."

At the same time, he said, "Please don't let 'that player' (referring to Kim Da-hyun) out in front of me," and pointed out, "Singing is not something you do so carelessly. You have to experience life and go through hardships. It's not that easy to make music that comforts the people who come to visit me like this."

As the video of the scene in question became a hot topic online, it was pointed out that it was excessive for a remark directed at a junior who was fifty-five years younger than him.

Additionally, some voices said that referring to Kim Da-hyun as 'girl', 'lady', and 'player' was also inappropriate.

As the controversy arose, Shim Soo-bong's official website crashed due to excessive traffic.

Shim Soo-bong issued an official apology this afternoon and admitted his mistake, saying, "I literally made a mistake."

Shim Soo-bong said, "It is true that I was worried and worried about singing, and on the day of the event, I was very stressed due to the noise at the event venue. However, at the Trot festival site, where everyone should be laughing and having fun, words that deviated from common sense were spoken at an inappropriate moment. Even if there were 10 mouths, I have nothing to say."

He wrote, "More than anything, I didn't know exactly who the singer in front of me was, and I definitely didn't say anything to embarrass a specific person. However, as an adult, it was definitely wrong to say something that hurt the feelings of a junior singer."

Shim Soo-bong then added, "I expressed my deepest apology to Da-hyun Kim and her family. In the process, I heard from my father that Da-hyun Kim sang 'A Million Roses' while playing the piano at a concert, and my eyes got hot as I thought, 'How much must she have practiced?' I also express my deep regret and apology to Da-hyun Kim, her fan club, and the people involved in the event."