Kim Da-hyun accepts apology from Shim Su-bong after public criticism

Singer Kim Da-hyun, 17, said she received a personal apology from veteran singer Shim Su-bong, 71, who had publicly criticized her.

Kim wrote on her Instagram on Monday that she and Shim had spoken directly by phone, and that Shim had personally apologized, offered encouragement and extended warm words of comfort.

"Fans must have been upset and worried by all this," she added. "I will pull myself together, so please don't worry — let's meet again with smiles on our faces."

The incident began Sunday at the 10th Jinan Highland Trot Music Festival in Jinan-gun, North Jeolla Province, where Shim abruptly turned on Kim, who had performed before her. Referring to Kim as "the woman who sang before me," Shim said she appeared to be "a young lady who doesn't know what singing is, or what life is." Shim went on to say Kim had "made my head spin" and demanded that Kim's manager ensure she would not be placed before her again, saying she felt so dizzy she might collapse. "Singing is not something you do carelessly," Shim said. "Music that comforts the people who came here is not easy — you need life experience, you need to have struggled."

The public remarks directed at Kim, who is still in high school, spread online and sparked widespread controversy.

Facing a backlash, Shim released a written apology on Monday, acknowledging she had "misspoken." She said she had long harbored concerns about the state of popular music and that noise at the venue had caused her considerable stress on the day, but admitted there was no excuse for making remarks that crossed the line at a trot music festival where everyone should have been laughing and having fun.

Shim also acknowledged wrongdoing specifically toward Kim, saying she had not known exactly who the singer performing before her was and had never intended to humiliate anyone in particular — but that it was clearly wrong of her, as an elder, to have said something that would wound a younger singer's heart.

"Through this apology, I offer my deepest regrets and apologies to Kim Da-hyun, her fan club, and everyone who worked hard to make the event a success," Shim wrote. "I am truly sorry to the many attendees who came to see the performance that day. I ask for your generous forgiveness."