Park Jin Young reveals he sourced a K-pop light stick during a presidential summit

Park Jin Young fulfilled a K-pop light stick request made during a presidential summit, he revealed on the August 1 episode of MBC variety show 전지적 참견 시점 (episode 409).

The singer-producer was at the Blue House for a working meeting with Presidential Chief of Staff Kang Hoon-suk and Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Choi Hwi-young. The meeting tied to Park's role as co-chair of the Public Culture Exchange Committee—a ministerial-level appointment he received last year—and to his ongoing push for 2027 FANOMENON, a privately led large-scale event combining K-pop concerts, fandom award ceremonies, and exhibition and experience programs from K-culture companies.

Kang set up the anecdote first. "When I go to summit meetings, I propose three things to our country," he said. "First, attracting semiconductor factories. Second, asking if we can help with Korean defense industry. Third is 'my wife is a fan of someone, can you get something for her?'"

Park confirmed he came through. "I got you the light stick, didn't I? At the presidential summit, someone asked if I could get a light stick, and I got it for them."

(A light stick request landing on the agenda next to semiconductor deals says something about where K-pop sits in the world right now.)