[Edaily Reporter Kim Min-jung ] Park Jeong-sook, a former actress who rose to fame playing Queen Munjeong in the drama "Dae Jang Geum," has shared an update on her current life as the head of a public institution under the Seoul Metropolitan Government following her departure from the entertainment industry.

A video titled “The Path Chosen by Park Jeong-sook, Former ‘Dae Jang Geum’ Actress and MC, After Leaving the Entertainment Industry” was recently posted on the YouTube channel “Jo Eun-ju’s Q.”

In the video, Park Jeong-sook revealed that she currently serves as the CEO of the Seoul Women and Family Foundation, an agency under the Seoul Metropolitan Government, where she oversees women’s and family policies.

Park Jeong-sook recalled, “I worked in the media for about 10 years, from 1992 to 2003,” adding, “‘Dae Jang Geum’ was my last project, and that was already 20 years ago.”

She continued, “For the past 20 years, I’ve worked in the public service sector away from the media, and I spent even more time working at international organizations.”

Park Jeong-sook served as the Korea Representative for the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization (GAVI) for 10 years and served as Secretary-General of the World Smart Cities Organization (WeGO) from 2021 to 2024. In addition, she has built a diverse career, including teaching as a visiting professor at Kyung Hee University’s Institute of International Education and Seoul Women’s University.

Regarding her decision to leave the entertainment industry, Park Jeong-sook explained, “I became interested in promoting Korea to the world after serving as a promotional ambassador for the 1993 Daejeon Expo,” adding, “After witnessing the influence of the Korean Wave following *Dae Jang Geum*, I decided I wanted to study public policy and went to study abroad at Columbia University in the United States.”

She added, “I learned that the Korean Wave is not merely cultural content, but a public policy that introduces Korea to the world and a key pillar of diplomacy.”

Park Jeong-sook, who has served as CEO of the Seoul Women and Family Foundation since last September, is working to build a platform that makes it easier for citizens to access Seoul’s various support policies, such as those related to pregnancy, childbirth, child-rearing, and housing for young people.

Park Jeong-sook stated, “I want to be someone who has a positive influence on others,” adding, “My goal is to be someone people need, no matter what role I’m in.”