Trot singer Kim Da-hyun vows to 'become a full moon' after Shim Su-bong controversy

Trot singer Kim Da-hyun took the stage for the first time since a public controversy erupted after veteran singer Shim Su-bong openly criticized her, sharing her feelings with the audience.

On Saturday, Kim performed at a busking stage at the 2026 Gyeongnam Goseong Dinosaur World Expo in South Gyeongsang Province — her first official public appearance in six days since the controversy began in North Jeolla Province on Sept. 20.

"I had filmed a cheerful chuseok greeting video with my older sister Jin So-ri a week ago," Kim told the crowd. "But unfortunately I wasn't able to post it. As you may know, an unexpected incident prevented me from doing so."

She then expressed gratitude to her supporters. "So many people who love Kim Da-hyun have cheered me on and shown concern — I have drawn great strength from that. I sincerely thank you from the bottom of my heart," she said, bowing her head.

"Many of you have offered words of encouragement," she added. "I will take them to heart and reflect carefully going forward."

Kim said she had visited her hometown of Cheonghak-dong during the chuseok holiday and returned with renewed resolve. "Thinking of the full moon — bright and clear — I made up my mind that I must work harder, study more and push forward boldly to become a great singer," she said. "Please continue to cheer for and love Kim Da-hyun."

The controversy began Sept. 20 at the 10th Jinan Highland Trot Festival held near Maisan in Jinan-gun, North Jeolla Province, where Shim said of Kim: "The woman who sang before me made my head spin," and "She seems like a young lady who doesn't know what singing is, or what life is."

Video footage from the scene spread online, prompting widespread criticism over whether it was appropriate for a senior artist to publicly call out a junior colleague on stage.

The following day, Shim issued an apology through her agency. "I simply misspoke," she said. "It was absolutely not intended to humiliate any specific person. Even so, it was clearly wrong of me, as an elder, to say something that would hurt a junior singer's feelings."

Shim also called Kim directly to apologize.

Kim confirmed the exchange on Instagram. "I spoke directly with Shim Su-bong on the phone, and she personally apologized, offered encouragement and gave me warm comfort," she wrote. "I will pull myself together, so please don't worry — let's meet again with smiles."

Kim Da-hyun is a teenage trot singer who rose to prominence through competition programs including "Voice Trot," "Miss Trot 2" and "Hyeonyeok Gawang." Shim Su-bong, born in 1955, made her debut at the 1978 MBC College Music Festival with "Geu ttae geu saram" ("That Person Back Then") and went on to release hits including "Namjaneun bae yeojaneun hanggu" and "Sarangbakken nan mollayo."