Singer Shim Soo-bong (71) sparked controversy by publicly criticizing junior singer Kim Da-hyun (17), bringing renewed attention to the rare disease she previously revealed she suffered from.
In June, Shim appeared on MBN's 'Kim Juha's Day & Night' and disclosed that she suffers from microphonias (selective sound hypersensitivity syndrome). It is a condition characterized by strong feelings of disgust, anger, anxiety, and other negative emotions in response to sounds occurring at specific frequencies or situations.
At the time, she said, "When I was in middle school, my friends tried to surprise me, and since then I have become extremely sensitive to loud noises. It's a disease where you can't hear sounds." She added, "I even have to be careful when listening to backing monitors. If I hear loud noises, I collapse, so I always wear earplugs. Because of this rare disease, I stayed on an island for recovery and learned to play the guitar there."
On the 20th, Shim caused controversy by hurling insults at Kim Da-hyun, who performed before her on stage at the Ginseng Festival held in Jinan County, Jeollabuk-do.
Kim sang songs including 'Whale of Praise', 'I'm a Lotto', 'Good Shot!', and 'Black Swan'. Afterward, Shim took the stage and said, "The woman who sang in front of me made my head spin. It seems like this young lady doesn't know what singing is or what life is." She added, "It was hard listening to her sing."
She continued, "Please don't send that player in front of me anymore," and pointed out, "I feel dizzy right now and I think I'm going to collapse. You can't just treat singing lightly. You need to experience life and go through hardships. Making music that comforts others is not easy."
As the remarks became known, criticism arose that Shim referred to her junior singer, who is like a granddaughter, as "young lady" and "player," publicly scolding her. It was reported that Kim Da-hyun learned of Shim's remarks late and shed tears.
As the controversy grew, Shim issued an apology statement on the 21st, saying, "It is true that I had a lot of stress due to venue noise on the day of the event," and apologized, stating, "I have no words even if I had ten mouths for speaking out of common sense at a trot festival where people should be laughing and enjoying themselves."
Shim also stated that she conveyed her apologies directly to Kim Da-hyun and her family. Kim Da-hyun then shared that "The teacher gave me an apology, encouragement, and warm comfort," bringing the situation to a close.
However, as Shim appeared on stage supported by staff while mentioning "I feel dizzy" and "I think I'm going to collapse," this coincided with symptoms of the rare disease she had previously revealed, leading to ongoing fallout. It has not been confirmed whether Shim's discomfort at Kim Da-hyun's performance was due to microphonias.
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