Actor Park Jung Min has opened up about the lesser-known story behind his academic path, revealing that he entered Korea University after failing to gain admission to the Korea National University of Arts (KNUA).
On December 23, a video titled '08. Park Jung Min, A Turning Point' was released on the YouTube channel IVE CORP. In the video, Park candidly shared stories ranging from how he first became interested in acting to why he once dreamed of becoming a film director.
When asked when he first began dreaming of becoming an actor, Park said, “I don’t think there was a single moment where I suddenly decided I wanted to be an actor.” He explained that his initial motivation was simply wanting to avoid studying, which led him to dream of becoming a film director. “As I studied with the goal of becoming a director, I ended up doing small staff jobs at theater companies in Daehangno. Watching my seniors perform on stage made me think, ‘Maybe I’m someone who wants to act up front.’ That was when I was around 19 or 20,” he recalled.
Park went on to say that he began searching for his identity while preparing for the entrance exam for KNUA’s School of Film and Multimedia. “Up until then, I was just a student who wanted to be a film director. After taking that exam, I slowly began dreaming of becoming an actor, and after completing my military service, around age 22, I made up my mind,” he said.
The actor also cited the film ‘Waikiki Brothers’ as a major turning point in his life. “That movie made me admire people who create stories. It was the first time I felt like I truly wanted something,” he said honestly. “Before that, I didn’t really have a dream. I was good at studying, so the careers my parents wanted for me became my dreams.”
He added, “Like many Korean parents, they wanted paths like becoming a doctor, a lawyer, or a high-ranking public official.” However, after watching ‘Waikiki Brothers,' Park began writing short screenplays, one of which won an award at the 'Gyeonggi Student Literary Contest.' “That was when I felt confident that I had some kind of talent,” he said.
Despite this realization, conflict with his parents was unavoidable. Reflecting on his school years, Park shared, “My relationship with my parents during all three years of high school was like hell.” Still, he refused to give up on his dream. “I took the KNUA exam but failed. I still needed to go to college, so I studied hard to enter a good university and ended up at Korea University’s College of Liberal Arts,” he explained. “People might say, ‘So the school you went to because you had to attend college was Korea University?’ but I really did study extremely hard.”
He added that earning admission to Korea University served as a form of proof for his parents. “Once I had that ‘certificate,’ my parents were more willing to let me challenge other universities later on,” he said.
Meanwhile, Park Jung Min is a graduate of Gongju Hanil High School, known as one of Korea’s prestigious academic institutions. Although he initially enrolled in Korea University’s College of Liberal Arts, he later dropped out to pursue acting. He eventually re-applied to KNUA’s School of Film and Multimedia and was accepted. Park made his acting debut in the 2011 film ‘Bleak Night.’
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