Actor Park Shin-yang Opens Up About Financial Struggles While Pursuing Art

Actor Park Shin-yang has candidly shared the financial challenges he faces as he focuses on art instead of acting.

On October 4th, a video titled "My First Meeting with Park Shin-yang, Our Conversation Stayed with Me" was uploaded to singer Sung Si-kyung's YouTube channel. In the video, Park Shin-yang discussed his current situation, saying, "I keep asking questions and searching for answers. I'm extremely curious, and nothing is as powerful as that." He continued, "I couldn't let go of the questions. I thought philosophers could provide hints, so entering a philosophy graduate program was a great help."

Sung Si-kyung asked about the scale of Park's work, "Have you counted the total number of paintings?" Park replied, "There are about 200 pieces. I've been painting for about 13 years," revealing his deep passion for his craft.

Sung expressed concern about Park's life as a full-time artist, saying, "I'm not worried about your finances, but pursuing this as a hobby is one thing; going all-in is another." Park responded, "The cost of paint, canvas, materials, and studio rent is beyond imagination. It's serious," highlighting the real-world challenges of artistic pursuits.

When Sung jokingly asked, "Did you take the bus here?" Park replied, "I take the bus and walk. The rental fee for the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts is extremely high." He added, "I wonder if I should be saying all this," ending the conversation with a light-hearted note.

By Min-kyung Lee, Ten Asia Reporter 2min_ror@tenasia.co.kr