Minister-level appointee Park Jin-Young, a singer and producer who serves as co-chairperson of The Presidential Committee on Popular Culture Exchange, received an unexpected "warning" measure from the National Assembly. The reason given was that he combined personal business with an official U.S. business trip schedule. However, critics call it an excessive nitpicking that fails to consider on-site realities and the nature of the work, leaving a bitter aftertaste.
The Culture. Sports. and Tourism Committee (hereinafter the Culture. Sports. and Tourism Committee) recently held a plenary session and issued a warning to the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, saying, "When a civilian member undertakes an official overseas trip, clearly separate official schedules from personal or affiliated company-related schedules." The committee took issue with the fact that when Chairperson Park visited New York and Los Angeles last November for meetings related to the K-pop festival, after completing an official five-night, six-day public schedule, he remained on site longer and carried out personal business.
But public and industry reactions to this action are frosty. Above all, Monte Lipman, chairman of global record label Republic Records, whom Chairperson Park met during the trip, has been a key figure appointed and targeted for cooperation since the early days of The Presidential Committee on Popular Culture Exchange. Given that he is a major figure in popular music with whom networks should be built and meetings held for the K-Culture global festival and exchange projects, viewing Park's meeting with a key contact who could deliver substantive official results through a biased lens is an excessive presumption.
Moreover, there were no defects in procedures or budget execution. According to the account disclosed by the support team of The Presidential Committee on Popular Culture Exchange, Park is a nonfull-time member, and under related regulations, postponing personal stay or changing schedules after the end of official duties is not subject to separate prior approval.
Also, travel expenses funded by the treasury were paid only for the official five-night, six-day business period, and all additional stay costs and return flight charges incurred afterward were confirmed to have been paid in full out of Chairperson Park's personal funds. In other words, there was no sign of wasting public money or violating rules.
Abroad, so-called "blended travel" or "bleisure (business+leisure)," which combines personal schedules with official or business trips, has already become an established system and culture. Through this, officials can reduce travel energy and costs and maximize work efficiency on the premise of personal payment. Extending a stay at one's own expense after completing official duties is an advanced working method that values only "deliverables" and "autonomy."
There is a need to recall the original purpose of recruiting a private-sector expert active on the front lines of the global entertainment market as a minister-level chairperson. It was intended to actively use sharp on-site sensibilities and dense global networks in state affairs without being trapped in deskbound administration. It is unreasonable to apply a 'smear' standard to someone who, having perfectly completed official duties during a valuable overseas trip, efficiently connected personal schedules to manage his itinerary. If even schedule extensions that are procedurally and morally unproblematic are faulted, what private expert will later enter public service with conviction and demonstrate their capabilities?
[Photo] OSEN DB
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