[Son Seong-jin Column] The Park Jin-young Controversy and Parliamentary Privileges

When singer and CEO Park Jin-young was appointed as co-chair of the Presidential Committee on Popular Culture Exchange, I thought it was a rare and excellent personnel decision. Park Jin-young proved his worth by unveiling the 'Fanomenon' project a month ago. The plan aims to generate 1 trillion won in economic benefits by attracting 500,000 tourists through events such as awarding prizes to K-pop fandoms. Giving awards to fans is an idea that neither the National Assembly nor the government could have come up with.
The National Assembly has taken issue with Park Jin-young. The reason is that he carried out personal activities after completing a six-day, five-night official business trip to the United States. The National Assembly Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee issued a "warning" to Park Jin-young. It is reported that Park Jin-young personally covered all expenses incurred for the latter part of his personal schedule, including his return flight. Park Jin-young works without pay and on a part-time basis. He is a public figure and a public official, yet simultaneously holds the status of a private citizen. While it cannot be said that Park Jin-young is entirely blameless, this controversy brings to light the issue of lawmakers themselves distinguishing between public and private matters.
While others might be able to, lawmakers, especially those on the Culture, Sports, and Tourism Committee, have no right to take issue with something like this. Although the issue of lawmakers' pleasure trips has been constantly pointed out, the situation remains unchanged. Even as the ruling and opposition parties fight tooth and nail, they are united in their stance on matters like this. The most recent problematic case was the 2022 trip to Qatar by members of the Culture, Sports, and Tourism Committee. Although the stated purpose was to pay a courtesy call on the Speaker of the Qatari Parliament, they returned after watching only a World Cup soccer match. They did not even meet the Speaker. In reality, it was a private errand disguised as official business.
Lawmakers' pleasure trips abroad are no different across all standing committees. They pay no heed to the open complaints of local embassy staff responsible for accompanying and supporting them. While they are official trips in form, sightseeing makes up a significant portion of their itineraries. Members of the Culture, Sports, and Tourism Committee, in particular, engage in sightseeing openly. They travel shamefully because tourism is their area of ​​responsibility. However, they have never written a report that would be helpful to domestic tourism administration.
Since the Culture, Sports, and Tourism Committee has taken issue with Park Jin-young's business trip, the public is unlikely to sympathize. On the contrary, they will likely think that Park Jin-young should be granted freedom of action. He should be left alone to travel to overseas sites as he pleases, promote Korean culture, and contemplate ways to attract tourists. If the money lawmakers spend on pleasure trips were given to Park Jin-young, ten times the results could be achieved.
The fact that they feel no shame while taking pleasure trips funded by taxpayers' money stems from moral and legal laxity born of a sense of entitlement. Cloaked in the armor of parliamentary immunity from arrest, they feel no guilt even for minor transgressions. They are different from ordinary, good-natured citizens. Representative Yong Hye-in, who stands at the center of controversy after being nominated as a ministerial candidate, is no exception. How could she have even contemplated working for the same party and receiving party dues as a married couple?
What about the case of Justice Minister nominee Kim Seung-won, who was nominated alongside him? He received a suspended indictment on charges of soliciting the Minister of Food and Drug Safety to expedite clinical trials, yet he claimed that this solicitation was merely the handling of a grievance. As a former judge, he should be well aware of the difference between a civil complaint and a solicitation, yet he is stubbornly insisting otherwise. The perception of Democratic Party lawmaker Seo Young-kyo is even more extreme. She argued that it was not an illegal solicitation but rather "the actions of politicians." This demonstrates a complete lack of guilt. A suspended indictment means that prosecution will not proceed based on various circumstances. It is different from being found not guilty. If it were a legitimate political act, the prosecutor would have dismissed the case with the intent of finding the defendant not guilty. The clinical trials proceeded after the solicitation. It is said that 30,000 investors invested in related companies based on this belief. The clinical trials ended in failure, and the investors are suffering significant losses.
To label solicitations accompanied by gifts and rewards as "the behavior of politicians"—which citizen would agree with that? It is also an admission that such solicitations toward audited agencies have been a routine practice. It is an open secret that administrative agencies are struggling with the solicitations made by lawmakers. Not only the lawmakers but even their aides have internalized a sense of entitlement and abuse of power. They ask what the problem is with such behavior, but this feels like a genuine sentiment stemming from their true feelings, not merely a gesture of defense.
The case of Park Jin-young will likely remain controversial. If issuing a warning is deemed appropriate, then lawmakers' overseas trips and solicitations should not be considered routine acts; rather, they deserve punishment several times harsher than a mere warning. These recent incidents serve as a reminder of the urgency of political reform. However, there is no possibility that politicians will bring up political reform on their own initiative. It ends up being a fleeting topic of discussion only when an issue arises. As this happens, lawmakers become desensitized to their wrongdoings, and their sense of entitlement grows stronger. The only remaining option is for the people to step forward.
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