Korean Singer Sim Soo-bong's Copyright Royalties Spark Interest on 'Hidden Singer 8'

Interest in the copyright royalties of Korean singer Sim Soo-bong has been reignited.

On the first episode of JTBC's 'Hidden Singer 8', which aired on the 31st, Sim Soo-bong made a special appearance.

During the show, Sim Soo-bong discussed her hit song 'Men Are Ships, Women Are Harbors'. She shared the backstory of the song's creation, involving anecdotes about a close friend who was a flower arrangement teacher and her husband.

She revealed, "After releasing the song, I faced a lot of criticism. Until recently, I didn't understand why I was criticized. It was quite hurtful," addressing the controversy over the song's perceived obscenity. Song Eun-i empathized, saying, "Before people knew the story behind it, they misunderstood it as something obscene."

Song Eun-i reminisced, "As a child, I sang this song while playing games in the neighborhood. It was so popular that even kids knew it. I remember hearing it everywhere, from restaurants to college campuses and on the radio. I heard the royalties amounted to about 70 million won." At the time, 70 million won was equivalent to the price of a 100-pyeong apartment in Gangnam. Jeon Hyun-moo expressed amazement, "Back then, 70 million won meant it was a mega-hit."

Reporter Kim Ji-won, TenAsia one@tenasia.co.kr