Singer and actor Park Yoo-chun, formerly of the groups TVXQ and JYJ, has drawn criticism after announcing plans to hold a high-priced dinner show in Japan.
Park Yoo-chun will hold "Park Yoo-chun Dinner Show 2027" at a hotel in Osaka, Japan, on February 13 next year. The dinner show will be conducted exclusively for paid fan club members.
Particular attention has been drawn to the ticket price. Each ticket is priced at 52,000 yen, and including separate shipping fees and service charges, the total comes to 53,500 yen (450,000 won).
This level significantly exceeds the average price range of hotel dinner shows by top-tier domestic singers, which typically falls between 200,000 and 300,000 won.
On Nov. 3, Park revealed promotional outfits for Dinner Show 2027 through Instagram and other platforms.
In a promotional video, Park sang while wearing a denim jacket, a bow tie, and a tuxedo. In particular, he drew attention by showing off his outfit or singing passionately while dressed in a black kimono over a bow-tie suit.
Park's side said that members who purchase tickets for Dinner Show 2027 will receive two commemorative photos and gifts prepared by Park Yoo-chun. However, they said that Park will not personally deliver the gifts.
Opinions are divided on this matter, with some criticizing it as an excessive business tactic that exploits the loyalty of overseas fan bases, while others argue that the pricing is not significantly different from the market rates for dinner shows by top-tier artists in Japan.
Park debuted in 2003 as a member of the group TVXQ. He left the team following an exclusive contract dispute with SM Entertainment in 2009 and went on to perform as a member of JYJ.
Subsequently, Park, who was sentenced to 10 months in prison with a two-year suspended sentence in 2019 on charges of methamphetamine use, halted his domestic activities after receiving the guilty verdict for drug offenses.
Park, who had initially declared his retirement from the entertainment industry, reversed that decision and shifted his activities to Japan and Southeast Asia.
He was sued by his former agency for damages amounting to 500 million won on grounds of violating their exclusive contract. He has been repeatedly embroiled in controversy, including being listed on the National Tax Service's list of high-value and habitual tax delinquents released in 2023, revealing that he had failed to pay approximately 400 million won in taxes.
In this regard, Park's side said last month that all related lawsuits have been concluded and that they intend to repay all outstanding taxes within the year.
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