Photo: A vintage picture revealed by Seo Taiji
[Sports Chosun, Reporter Yoo Na] Singer Seo Taiji has returned with his annual wrap-up after a year, marking his 'survival report.' Every Christmas, he has greeted fans by sharing lengthy updates about his life, and this year was no different; he brought joy with his words as a special holiday gift. Discussing the current state of political turmoil caused by the impeachment situation, he surprised fans by revealing details about his 10-year-old daughter, showcasing his affectionate 'dad' side and stepping away from his usual mystique.
On the 24th, Seo Taiji shared a heartfelt letter to his fans.
He wrote, “Merry Merry Christmas ~ How have you all been, my fellow fans? It’s already the end of the year, and Christmas has arrived in December. This year was the Year of Gapjin. Have all your precious dreams been realized? I feel like I’ve been achieving little dreams one by one,” as he greeted everyone.
He continued, “These days, with the uproar from the impeachment situation after seven years, South Korea is quite noisy. It’s remarkable that, just as we welcome 2025, we’re witnessing another impeachment—it’s a pity for the times.” He humorously noted, “It seems like our fans have participated in many rallies... Do we still have functioning light sticks?” He reminisced about the time when “we were the X Generation, or the Seo Taiji Generation, having gone through such tumultuous youth, and now here we are, in middle age! ㅠ” He added, “Looking back at this year, I realize there were no special events. But simply being with family feels like a wonderfully fulfilling life,” he concluded.
He then delved into stories about his daughter, Dami. “It’s already the 10th anniversary of her birth! (This year, she's even teasing me, asking for evidence of Santa’s existence),” he mentioned. “When Dami was younger, her dream was to be a paleontologist, but I guess dinosaurs evolved into birds, as now she’s aiming to be a bird specialist. Recently, she’s taken a liking to the violin (I wish it had been the guitar instead...) It’s fascinating to see her practice as soon as she wakes up! She hasn’t disbanded heavy metal, but she’s surprised me since her musical genre took a sudden turn. Nowadays, the music in our car is traditional Korean songs and classical music,” he proudly shared about his daughter’s musical talents.
Seo Taiji even shared a concerned moment: “A few days ago, she sulked and shut herself in her room... Is it true that the teenage years are coming soon? ㄷㄷ (Advice from those who have experienced this would be appreciated).”
Once an icon of youth, Seo Taiji reflected, “I used to aim to live until 130 years old, but these days, my goal is to maintain a physical age of 30 and achieve immortality, haha. You know what they say about telomeres?” He pondered. “While many might disagree, I often imagine what it would be like if we could live forever without aging.”
In closing, he expressed, “The world is still tumultuous and the road ahead is long, but for today, I hope you all have a warm and safe Christmas with your families and friends. I’ll return again, so don’t worry too much. Please stay healthy and look forward to an exciting 2025. I love you all, my dear fans~”
Fans responded with sentiments like, “So when will you return?” “I miss you, Seo Taiji,” “We don’t have our light sticks. Should we make some?” “Please hold a concert to relieve stress in these times.”
Meanwhile, Seo Taiji has been sharing these survival reports each Christmas. He is married to actress Lee Eun-sung, who is 16 years his junior, and they have a daughter together.
Seo Taiji's Full Post:
Subject: Hello, 2024 Gapjin Christmas ~
Merry Merry Christmas ~ How have you all been, my fellow fans?
It’s already the end of the year, and Christmas has arrived in December.
This year was the Year of Gapjin. Have all your precious dreams been realized?
I feel like I’ve been achieving little dreams one by one.
These days, with the uproar from the impeachment situation after seven years, South Korea is quite noisy.
It’s remarkable that as we approach 2025, we’re witnessing another impeachment—what a pity for the times.
Our fans seem to have participated heavily in the rallies... Do we still have functioning light sticks? ^ ^
This time, it seems especially that many twenty-something friends participated, reminding me of our struggles back then... I’m proud of them.
Now we need to continue supporting these young leaders of the future as caring uncles and aunts.
We also went through a tumultuous youth as the X Generation, aka the Seo Taiji Generation, and suddenly finding ourselves in middle age, ㅠ.
I worry about our fans feeling cold in this chilly weather. Make sure to dress warmly!
By the way, how did you all spend 2024? Is middle-aged life treating you well? ^ ^
When I look back at this year, nothing particularly special happened. But just being with family feels good enough.
As I went on with my everyday life, it’s already the 10th anniversary of Dami’s birth! (This year, she’s teasing me about proving Santa’s existence.)
Dami’s childhood dream was to be a paleontologist, but whether dinosaurs evolved into birds, she now aspires to be an ornithologist.
She’s recently developed a little interest in the violin (I wish it had been guitar!), and it’s so incredible that she practices as soon as she wakes up!
Although heavy metal hasn’t disbanded, I’m surprised by the sudden change in her music genre. Nowadays, when we’re in the car, we listen to traditional Korean songs and classical music.
But a few days ago, she sulked and locked herself in her room... Is it true that the teenage years are coming soon? ㄷㄷ (I would appreciate advice from those who’ve experienced this).
They say ten years can change a river's course, and reflecting on the ten years since Dami was born, I remember it was the release of our ninth album featuring ‘Miracle of Christmas’ on that day.
Ten years before that was the release of the seventh album ‘Robots,’ and another ten years prior to it marked 1994, when our third album came out. Just looking back at these three instances, it genuinely feels like the world changed significantly.
During the third album, fans, or rather, the young fans, began standing up to protect us from the ‘Satan Theory’ surrounding ‘Classroom Ideals,’ and together, we fought for our times and created countless memories over the years—now we are nearing 2025.
The world has changed so much in the last 30 years, hasn’t it? Sometimes it’s strange and disorienting in this unfamiliar world, but we are the only generation who has truly lived through the transition from analog to digital to artificial intelligence, so I believe we will continue to thrive no matter what happens next. ^ ^
By the way, are you watching the “AI 4K Upscaling Project” happening at Seo Taiji Company this year? I keep an eye on the videos and comments (haha).
Can you believe that AI can enhance videos? It’s like living in a time where dreams are turning into reality. Especially, the old SD footage is benefitting so much, and with the clarity of those images, the faded memories we have from those times feel clearer and more precious.
If one day, AI moves to 16K 4D technology, shall we try that? Haha (but not my tenth album!! Haha).
But by that time, we might be enjoying dinner shows within a simulation... Hmm... a tropical dinner show from Easter Island? Haha.
I used to aim to live until I was 130 years old, but nowadays, my goal has shifted to achieving immortality at a physical age of 30! Haha, you know what I mean—it’s all about telomeres! Haha.
Though many may disagree, I often daydream about what it would be like if we could live forever without aging.
If we want to achieve immortality, we must prioritize well-being and proper nourishment, so let’s all exercise hard and take good care of ourselves! Haha.
With that in mind, since I have the physical age of 30 and you all are overflowing with energy from our youth! I will be upscaling the recording of four tracks from our sixth album soon.
This footage is from Korea’s first pre-recorded broadcast, and back then, we were genuinely having the time of our lives, aiming to create the best video (I was completely unnoticed, ㅠ).
Both pre-recorded and standing performances were