Someone asked Shin Hae Chul why he started his career as a musician. He answered:

I had a very difficult childhood. Our family was dirt poor. There were several ocassions when we didn't have a single grain of rice in hand. The only thing I had in my possesion was a walkman. Whenever I put those ear phones on, I could escape to a whole another world. A world where I was no longer in pain. I asked myself how wonderful it would be if I could live in that world for the rest of my life.

Gush.