An unfortunate scene unfolded on the 20th at the "10th Jinan Plateau Trot Festival," held as part of the "2026 Jinan Red Ginseng Festival" in Jinan-gun, Jeollabuk-do. Veteran singer Shim Soo-bong (71) publicly criticized Kim Da-hyun (17), a junior singer 54 years her junior, in front of the audience.

On this day, Kim Da-hyun took the stage as the opening act and finished her performance amid enthusiastic cheers from the crowd. Shim Soo-bong, who took the stage next, sang two songs before saying, "The woman who sang just before me made my head dizzy," and "It seems like this young lady doesn't know what song is, or what life is." She then requested, "Please do not send that player out in front of me again." It was a moment when a regional festival meant to harmonize generations was stained by a senior's public reprimand.

From the perspective of Shim Soo-bong, who has guarded the music industry for nearly half a century, the 10-year-old junior's vocal method or stage performance may not align with her own musical values. In an apology issued the next day, Shim stated, "It is true that I had usual worries and concerns about pop music, and on that day, I was under a lot of stress due to noise at the venue." Voicing concerns about the essence of music and the direction of juniors as an elder cannot be blamed in itself. The problem lay in the time, place, and manner in which she expressed that conviction.

There is a proper place even for advice and bitter remarks. Shim Soo-bong previously served as a special master on the MBN show "Active King of Singers" in December 2023, where she directly judged Kim Da-hyun's performances. At that time, in a one-on-one showdown, she chose the opposing singer over Kim Da-hyun. A cold judgment made by a judge in a competition where evaluation is presupposed is a justifiable part of their role.

However, a festival stage has a different character. It is not a place to judge the ranking or skills of singers, but a place where all performers stand in the same position to bring joy to the audience. Belittling a 17-year-old minor junior—who had no chance to counter—by referring to her as a "woman," "young lady," and "player" was closer to a one-sided reprimand backed by status rather than affectionate advice.

In her apology, Shim Soo-bong stated, "I didn't know exactly who the previous singer was, and I never intended to humiliate a specific person." However, the core issue is not "who it was." Even assuming she didn't know who the person was, the fact remains that she publicly belittled a fellow singer who had just finished her performance in front of a large crowd. Ironically, the fact that she said such things to a junior whose identity she didn't even know sounds all the more painful.

There is another veteran who tackled the exact same concern in a completely different way: Lee Mi-ja, who concluded her 66-year singing career in April of last year. She titled her farewell performance "Lee Mi-ja Traditional Pop Music Dedication Concert: Connecting the Veins." Given that it started from the worry that the lifeline of traditional music might be cut off, the root of her problem awareness was no different from Shim Soo-bong's "worries and concerns."

However, the way Lee Mi-ja chose to resolve her concerns was not by pushing juniors off the stage, but by pulling them onto her own stage. She brought junior singers Joo Hyun-mi and Cho Hang-jo to the press conference announcing her farewell concert. She stated, "This is the 66th year since I started singing, but today is the happiest day." The reason was that she had found people to pass down the torch so that traditional music would not vanish. She even broke her long-standing rule of not having guests at her solo concerts. Her final stage featured Joo Hyun-mi, Cho Hang-jo, along with "Miss Trot 3" Jin Jung Seo-joo and "Mr. Trot 3" Jin Kim Yong-bin. The grand finale of the concert was "Imawul Teacher" (The Village on the Ferry Island) sung together with them. She paved the way for a generational shift through sharing the stage and practical encouragement, rather than critique or exclusion. While both shared the same worry for the future of music, one chose inclusion while the other chose exclusion.

The handling of the aftermath showed who was more mature. It is reported that while moving to her next schedule in a car, Kim Da-hyun monitored her own performance, encountered the remarks, and cried for a long time. According to her father, Kim Bong-gon, Kim Da-hyun had always respected Shim Soo-bong. She had even practiced the piano herself to sing "A Million Roses" during her first national tour concert. Because it came from a senior she respected, the shock was all the greater.

Nevertheless, Kim Da-hyun directly called Shim Soo-bong the next day to accept her apology. She posted on social media, "I will pull myself together, so don't worry, let's meet with bright faces," reassuring her fans. She plans to proceed with her scheduled appearances, including the stage at the Goseong Expo in South Gyeongsang Province over the Chuseok holiday. Kim Bong-gon also expressed clear regret in public that discussing life while throwing around terms like "young lady" and "player" was inappropriate. However, he refrained from emotional criticism, noting that if there was something to say, it could have been communicated privately. In this controversy, the ones who showed maturity were the teenage junior and her family.

With Shim Soo-bong's swift apology and Kim Da-hyun's generous acceptance, the incident has come to a tentative close. During the apology process, upon hearing that Kim Da-hyun had played "A Million Roses" on the piano, Shim Soo-bong reportedly felt her eyes well up with tears thinking about how much practice it must have taken. What if that sentiment had come out on stage first? What the public expects from a "veteran" goes beyond the number of hit songs or years active; it is the generosity that only someone who has endured a long time can show. The dignity of a senior singer is revealed precisely in the gaze she casts upon a junior who has just begun to walk her path.

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