Park Jin-Young, better known as JY Park, has been appointed to a recently minister role, underlining the recognition of the South Korean government of K-pop as a central force in cultural diplomacy.
The presidential office announced the launch of the presidential commission on the exchange of popular culture on Tuesday. Park, 53 years old, will act as a blanket together with the Minister of Culture Choi Hwi-Young, reported Hauterrfly. The move reflects Seoul’s efforts to exploit entertainment as a key pillar of Soft Power.
By marking the milestone, he uploaded a nostalgic Instagram photo of Wonder Girls: the group that made history in 2009 as the first K-pop act to trace the Billboard Hot 100. The image reflected not only his pride in past triumphs, but also his enthusiasm to guide Korean music in an even bigger future.
Kang Hoon-Sik, head of the president’s staff, defined the park “a symbol of the globalization of K-Pop” and highlighted its pioneering role in opening the doors for Korean music in the United States. Kedglobal reported that Kang also declared: “This appointment is also an answer to the growing global curiosity about how the Korean government supports K-pop, in particular with projects such as kpop demons who earn popularity”.
From the pop star to the sector in the sector
Debuting as a solo artist in 1994 with songs like “Honey” and “She Was Pretty”, Park quickly became a family name. Three years later, he founded Jyp Entertainment Corp., who continued to produce some of the most successful acts in the country.
For almost 30 years, he has been behind groups such as God, Rain, Wonder Girls, 2pm, twice, Itzy, Nmixx and Stray Kids – cementing his reputation of more influential figures than K -Pop.
Reflections of the park
Following the announcement of the government, Park went on social media to share his conflicting emotions. “Taking a government position is discouraging for someone in the entertainment sector, but I think K-Pop now face a unique opportunity in time we have to seize, Park said, according to Korea Herald.
The new role, which plays the same rank of a minister of the cabinet, will focus on the creation of institutional paintings to support the continuous growth of Korean popular culture.
Market reaction
The appointment also resonated in the business world. Jyp Entertainment actions, in which Park remains Chief Creative Officer and the major shareholder, increased by almost 6% in negotiations after the hours on Nextrade, reversing previous losses.
Analysts have attributed the ascent to the expectations that President Lee Jae Myung’s commitment to support “five cultural plants” will translate into a stronger political support for cultural exports.
The officials explained that the new commission will act as a coordinated organ for cultural diplomacy, in charge of guaranteeing that the sector of music and entertainment of Korea continues its expansion all over the world.
