Ko Young-wook wonders what Shim Su-bong would have said after a Rula stage

Amid the controversy surrounding singer Shim Su-bong's (71) public criticism of Kim Da-hyun (17), Ko Young-wook (50), a former member of the group Rula, has drawn his old group's stage into the debate.

Ko posted a video of a past Rula performance on social media Tuesday, writing: "I wonder what sunbae Shim Su-bong would have said if she had come on stage right after a Rula event performance."

The video showed Rula's stage from Sept. 12. That day, Lee Sang-min, Chae Ri-na and Kim Ji-hyun performed "APT." by Rosé and Bruno Mars alongside Rula classics including "3! 4!," "Angel Without Wings," "Prayer" and "Lover."

Some interpreted Ko's post as an indirect reference to his current absence from Rula's activities. Others speculated it was a veiled criticism of Shim's remarks about Kim Da-hyun, linking them to Rula's own stage.

The controversy began Sunday afternoon, when Shim publicly targeted Kim Da-hyun's performance at the Jinan Highland Trot Music Festival in Jinan-gun, North Jeolla Province.

Shim referred to Kim, who had performed before her, as "the woman who sang up there" and addressed her openly from the stage.

Clutching her head, Shim said, "She made my head spin. Is her manager here? She seems like a young woman who does not know what singing is, what life is. It was so hard to listen to her."

She then added, "Please do not send that performer on before me. I feel completely dizzy, like I am about to collapse. Singing is not something you do carelessly."

"Music that comforts the people who came here — that requires life experience, hardship. It is not easy," she said. "I was so overwhelmed that I had no choice but to confess this to you all. Please forgive me."

After facing a wave of criticism, Shim issued an official statement Tuesday saying she "did not know exactly who the singer before me was" and that her remarks "were absolutely not intended to humiliate any specific person." She also extended "a sincere apology to Kim Da-hyun and her family."

Kim Da-hyun also posted on social media the same day, saying she had spoken directly with Shim by phone and that Shim "personally apologized, offered encouragement and gave warm words of comfort."