Singer Kim Jong-seo revealed the story of how he and the late Shin Hae-chul feuded for seven years before being reconciled through Seo Tai-ji's mediation, but ultimately failed to complete their collaborative music project.
A video titled "The Reason Why Shin Hae-chul and Kim Jong-seo Spent 7 Years Cursing at Each Other!" was released on the YouTube channel 'Utdaga!' on Saturday. The video featured appearances by Kim Jong-seo, singer Park Ki-young, and writers Bae Soon-tak and Ji Seung-ho.
In the video, Kim said that the conflict with Shin began because "there was a bit of an argument on broadcast."
He said, "It was a band competition program. I was on the judging side, while he was on the producer/director side. I gave comments based solely on the results, coldly and regardless of our friendship. It seems that hurt him deeply."
He continued, "I had a feud with him for about seven years. Seo Tai-ji mediated it. I didn't actually hold any resentment in my heart, but things were resolved through his intervention."
After reconciling, the two proceeded to work on music together. Kim recalled, "We finished all the recording. We had made a grand plan, but on the day we agreed to meet, he didn't show up."
He added, "So I contacted Tai-ji, and he said, '(Hae-chul-hyung) has a slight stomachache and is going to the hospital for an examination before coming back.' That was the end of it," evoking a sense of regret.
Regarding Shin Hae-chul's sudden death, Kim shared, "I thought, 'Is this real? How can a person leave like this?' It felt so unreal. Even after he passed away, it still felt incredibly unreal."
When host Jung Young-jin suggested that Shin would likely want the unfinished music project to be completed, Kim replied, "There will be some kind of trigger for it."
He added, "I felt very sorry for having kept my heart closed and lived this way until now. I wondered what was holding me back."
The music work mentioned by Kim Jong-seo is the '90s ICON' collaboration project involving Seo Tai-ji, Shin Hae-chul, Lee Seung-hwan, and Kim Jong-seo. The track was also included on Seo Tai-ji's ninth album in 2014, but the recording featuring all four artists was never officially released due to Shin Hae-chul's death.
Shin Hae-chul passed away on October 27, 2014. The late artist died after his condition deteriorated following complaints of abdominal pain and other symptoms after undergoing surgery for intestinal stenosis. The surgeon who performed the operation was prosecuted on charges of negligent homicide and had a one-year prison sentence finalized by the Supreme Court in 2018.
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