Shim Su-bong apologizes after publicly criticizing 17-year-old singer Kim Da-hyun at trot festival

Shim Su-bong called out Kim Da-hyun mid-performance

Veteran trot singer Shim Su-bong, 71, publicly criticized 17-year-old Kim Da-hyun from the stage at the 2026 Jinan Plateau Trot Festival on September 20. The clip spread online within hours, forcing an apology within 24 hours.

Kim Da-hyun had performed immediately before Shim Su-bong. Her set went smoothly. When Shim Su-bong took the stage, she asked whether a manager was present, then said: "The female singer who performed in front of me made my head dizzy."

She continued: "That young lady seems like someone who doesn't know what singing is or what life is. While listening to the song, I'm having such a hard time that I'm telling you in front of everyone. Please don't send out that singer in the future."

Then she turned to the audience: "Singing is not something to do carelessly. You have to experience life, go through hardship — music that comforts the people who came is not that easy."

The apology

Video of the remarks spread online on September 21. That afternoon, Shim Su-bong released a formal statement.

"I made a slip of the tongue on stage at a local trot festival watched by many people," she wrote. She said she "did not know exactly who the previous singer was" and that the remarks were "absolutely not made to humiliate a specific person." She cited longstanding concerns about popular music and added that venue noise on the day had caused significant stress.

Her agency also called Kim Da-hyun's father, Kim Bong-gon—publicly known as the 'Cheonghakdong Master'—to apologize by phone. They acknowledged the remarks were inappropriate while maintaining they were not a targeted attack. Shim Su-bong was willing to apologize in person if the opportunity arose.

In the statement, Shim Su-bong described a moment of reflection. After hearing from Kim Bong-gon that Kim Da-hyun had performed Baengmansongyi Jangmi ("A Million Roses") while playing piano at a concert, she wrote that thinking about "how much she must have practiced" moved her to tears. The full festival broadcast remains available on YouTube.