"I Felt Ashamed and Disgusted with Myself," Actor Park Jeong-min Opens Up About Becoming a Publishing CEO and His Personal Journey

Actor Park Jeong-min recently shared his journey to becoming the CEO of a publishing company.

On the October 11th episode of tvN's 'You Quiz on the Block,' episode 297 featured various guests, including volleyball players Kim Min-gyeom and Choi Yong-rak, intern Oh Chang-kyu at the age of 66, and Park Jeong-min, who has become a publishing CEO.

During the show, Park Jeong-min opened up about a personal revelation from his school days. He recounted, "I once told my mom to leave things on the floor for later, but she got angry. It turned out my father had a visual impairment that limited his field of vision."

He continued, "I only thought my father had poor eyesight, but I learned he had a disability. I used to get frustrated, wondering, 'Why can't my dad drive?'"

Park Jeong-min confessed, "I felt like I was pitying my father for his blindness, and it made me feel ashamed and disgusted with myself."

Now running an independent publishing company called 'Muje,' Park Jeong-min is taking time to recharge. He started the company for his father, who loves books. He shared, "I am the son of a disabled person. My father must have lived his whole life with discomfort, so I wanted to do something for him for the first time."

This motivation also led him to release author Kim Geum-hee's new novel 'First Summer, Wanju' as an audiobook first, for his father.

Park Jeong-min, who personally handed out business cards as a 'publishing CEO,' started as a one-person company but now operates with a two-person team. He shared, "I wake up at 6 AM, go to work, and spend all day in front of the computer."

He added, "Time flies as I continuously communicate with other companies, conduct interviews alone, and write promotional articles. I even work on holidays."

Feeling the limits of handling everything alone, he decided to hire an employee. Describing the office setup, he said, "There are two desks in an empty space, facing each other from opposite ends of the wall."

As a CEO, Park Jeong-min also shared his management concerns. He joked, "It's tight to pay the director's salary," and laughed when Yoo Jae-suk mentioned bonuses, admitting, "I hadn't thought about that."

Yoo Jae-suk asked Park Jeong-min if he was worried about taking a break from acting for the publishing work. Park Jeong-min candidly replied, "When I decided to take a break, I thought, 'I can start working again in a couple of years,' but now I'm starting to worry, 'Will there be work for me then?'"

He added, "I sometimes think it was an arrogant choice. The company used to hide scripts from me to let me rest, but now I'm asking for them back," drawing laughter.

Additionally, Park Jeong-min shared anecdotes about how his writing skills helped him avoid punishment in high school and offered tips on writing effective apologies.

By Da-yeon Jeong, TenAsia Reporter light@tenasia.co.kr