Park Jin Young Turned Down Salary and Car to Chair Korea's Culture Exchange Committee

Park Jin Young accepted an unpaid, part-time position as co-chair of Korea's Public Culture Exchange Committee. No salary. No annual contract. No government vehicle. He revealed this on MBC's Omniscient Interfering View on August 1, 2026.

The role carries ministerial rank, which makes the part-time arrangement odd by government standards. "It doesn't make sense to do a ministerial-level position as non-full-time," he said, "but they resolved it so I had no choice but to do it."

Three months of refusals preceded his acceptance. Presidential Chief of Staff Kang Hoon-suk personally contacted him repeatedly. According to Park, Kang even prepared cold brew coffee for their meeting because he knew Park liked it. Culture Minister Choi Hwi-young attended the Blue House session too. "The three of us are very close," Park said. "We became close through the process of them persuading me while I kept refusing."

The committee is building a global festival in Korea modeled on Coachella, called Phenomenon (패노메논). The centerpiece is an awards ceremony where fans—not artists—are honored. Top-ten fans get selected by category, plus an award of the year.

"K-culture shouldn't end like a trend," Park said. "Beyond profits, there are enormous intangible benefits. Our country's image and favorability are invaluably precious. I thought we need to view this from an industrial perspective to make it sustainable."

He also clarified his politics directly: "I am not progressive or conservative — I am Park Jin Young." He said it twice.

The episode dredged up an old Blue House story. Years ago, Park wore an unconventional outfit to a visit. Sports papers ran the headline "Park Jin Young's outfit terror at the Blue House" the next day. He said the defiance was intentional—a reaction to feeling stifled by Korean social norms at the time.