National Opera head Park Hye-jin declares highest assets among public officials

Park Hye-jin, the newly appointed director and artistic director of the National Opera Company, has declared assets of approximately 46.5 billion won (about $33 million USD), positioning her as the wealthiest among high-ranking public officials whose financial disclosures were released in August.

The asset declaration, made public on August 21 by the Government Public Service Ethics Committee, covers 73 senior public officials who experienced changes in their status between May 2 and June 1, including new appointments, promotions, and retirements. Park, a former opera singer, reported a combined net worth of 46.55 billion won, encompassing assets held by herself, her parents, and her eldest son.

A substantial portion of Park's wealth, around 35.6 billion won, consists of land in Seoul's Gangnam and Dongjak districts, as well as in Bundang-gu, Seongnam city, primarily registered under her father's name. Additionally, she owns an apartment in Seoul's Seocho-gu valued at 1.46 billion won, other buildings worth approximately 4.6 billion won, bank deposits totaling about 5.8 billion won, and membership rights for health and golf clubs valued at 944 million won.

Following Park, Kim Sung-gyun, the director of Seoul National University Dental Hospital, reported the second-highest wealth with 12.81 billion won. His assets include real estate, such as an apartment in Apgujeong-dong, Seoul, jointly held with his wife, valued at 5.48 billion won. Other officials, including Na Seung-cheol, a senior official in the Prime Minister's Secretariat, and former Korea Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute president Bang Seung-chan, also disclosed significant assets, with Bang's declared wealth at 11.74 billion won.