Korean American star Jay Park discusses his garlic juice, foray into K-pop and keeping it real

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — Korean American star Jay Park is known for many things, including being a rapper and R&B artist, as well as a garlic health drink enthusiast.

Park held a two-day fan meeting in Seoul over the weekend for the first time in over a decade. Between performing his hits, Park, known for his dedication to health drinks, minced garlic on stage for two fans who won a lucky draw to taste his garlic health drinks. During the show, fans waved garlic-shaped light sticks.

Hailing from Washington state, Park stumbled into South Korea’s competitive pop industry after his mother suggested he try out for a K-pop audition, which he initially thought was just a talent show. He moved to South Korea, became a trainee under JYP Entertainment, and later debuted as a member of K-pop band 2PM.

His stint with the band was cut short in 2009 when his old online comments about his difficulty adapting to an unfamiliar country surfaced, drawing harsh criticism from the media and the public. He eventually parted ways with the band and returned to his hometown. After Park’s return to the United States, public perceptions changed after people realized that his online messages had been taken out of context, leading to a strong demand for his return. He re-debuted as a solo artist in 2010.

Park has become one of the biggest names in the Asian entertainment industry as a recording artist, founder of three well-known South Korean music labels and an entrepreneur, with a Korean liquor brand.

In an interview, Park talked about his long-overdue fan meeting, being the first K-pop star to open an OnlyFans account and his upcoming foray into K-pop management with two bands set to debut.

His interview with The Associated Press has been edited for length and clarity.

Q: It’s your first fan meeting in more than a decade. How did this come about and how was the meeting with fans?

A: I received a lot of support and love from the fans, but I felt like I never deserved that. I also wanted people to know the real me, as a person and as an artist. My perception back then was like, I didn’t want to rely on the fans too much and just continuously take money from them. That’s not what I wanted to do. But I realized they want to show their support and it’s about (me) giving back as well. So right now it’s just a perfect opportunity to meet with my fans.

Q: You just talked about the “real me.” Who is the real you? Is there a side of you that you want people to see more?

A: I don’t want people to see anything. If you see me, you see me. If you don’t, you don’t. I don’t have an artist name. My name is Jay Park. There’s not a lot of people that are active under their real name. I’m probably like one of the only ones. I’ve been like that for, what, 16 years now? And I work with people that I want to work with. I do music that I want to do. I’m not hungry or thirsty for recognition anymore or to be accepted.

Q: What was it like meeting your fans after a long time?

A: What surprised me was a lot of my fans were a little more shy, I felt. But I think it’s because, for me, there’s no one that really manages my fandom. So it’s like everybody’s just kind of scattered around, so when they all come together in one spot for the first time in 11 years, it’s kind of like awkward for them as well. It’s awkward for me. So everyone was very shy. I’m glad that we can meet 11 years later and celebrate each other.

Q: I heard you’re the first K-pop star to open up an OnlyFans account. What’s the reason behind it?

A: I came out with a song called “McNasty” which is kind of reminiscent of (my previous song) “Mommae.” So it’s a little bit more raunchy, explicit. I’ve put out like hundreds of songs and the promotion can’t be the same every time. Especially because we’re not spending millions and millions of dollars. We have to be creative. It’s not like I created OnlyFans all of a sudden to do porn. But that’s the thing. I used that branding to market myself in the song, to bring awareness to the song and it worked just as planned. It became a huge thing.

Q: How do you keep up with trends?

A: I don’t keep up with trends. I have certain morals and certain standards, and I just abide by those standards. And it’s led me to where I’m at right now. I never cut any corners. I don’t take shortcuts. So I think that that’s taken me a long way. And I’ve always tried to be the best human being and try to carry myself as a good person.

Q: Your Korean liquor brand, WONSOJU, is selling globally. Why did you get into the soju (a distilled clear Korean alcoholic beverage) business?

A: I wanted to have traditionally distilled premium soju and have it go global so that people realize soju is not just a cheap alcohol you can just get drunk off. There’s real nice soju. Like there’s good whiskey, there’s good sake, there’s good soju as well.

Q: Is soju your favorite liquor?

A: I like soju and wine.

Q: You’ve hinted at an upcoming album. When is the release?

A: It’s supposed to come out in October.

Korean American star Jay Park attends a fan meeting on Sunday, Aug. 11, 2024, in Seoul. (AP Photo/Juwon Park)

Korean American star Jay Park makes his viral garlic health shots on stage during a fan meeting at Myunghwa Live Hall on Sunday, Aug 11, 2024, in Seoul. (AP Photo/Juwon Park)

Korean American star Jay Park performs at Myunghwa Live Hall for a fan meeting on Sunday, Aug. 11, 2024, in Seoul (AP Photo/ Juwon Park)

Korean American star Jay Park performs at Myunghwa Live Hall for a fan meeting on Sunday, Aug. 11, 2024, in Seoul. (AP Photo/ Juwon Park)

Korean American star Jay Park shows the garlic light stick of his fandom on stage during a fan meeting at Myunghwa Live Hall on Sunday, Aug 11, 2024, in Seoul. (AP Photo/Juwon Park)

Israeli strikes in the southern Gaza Strip killed at least 15 people overnight, including six children and two women, Palestinian medical officials said Tuesday. In northern Gaza, where Israel has been waging an air and ground campaign in Jabaliya for more than a week, residents said families were still trapped in their homes and shelters.

It’s been more than a year since Hamas-led militants blew holes in Israel’s security fence and stormed in, killing some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducting another 250. They are still holding about 100 people captive inside Gaza, a third of whom are believed to be dead.

Israel’s offensive in Gaza has killed over 42,000 Palestinians, according to local health authorities, who do not say how many were fighters but say women and children make up more than half of the fatalities. The war has destroyed large areas of Gaza and displaced about 90% of its population of 2.3 million people.

In solidarity with Hamas, Lebanese militant group Hezbollah has exchanged cross-border fire with Israel almost daily for the past year. Israel escalated its campaign against the group in recent weeks.

Rumors circulated for weeks over head of the expeditionary arm of Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard Gen. Esmail Qaani’s status after an Israeli airstrike that killed Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in Beirut in late September. But Qaani, the head of the Quds Force, was seen in a black bomber jacket, wiping away tears at an event early Tuesday morning at Tehran’s Mehrabad International Airport.

Here's the latest:

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — The funeral of an Iranian Revolutionary Guard general killed alongside Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah drew the largest crowd of top leaders in the paramilitary organization together Tuesday for the first time since Tehran launched a ballistic missile attack on Israel.

The Guard’s leadership hasn’t been as visible in the two weeks since Iran’s Oct. 1 attack on Israel. The Guard is the main power behind Iran’s theocracy and oversees its arsenal of ballistic missiles — which would be crucial in any future attack on Israel.

At the funeral in Tehran for Gen. Abbas Nilforushan, the Guard’s chief commander, Gen. Hossein Salami, attended alongside President Masoud Pezeshkian and the head of the country’s judiciary. Other Guard generals also attended, including Gen. Esmail Qaani of the Guard’s expeditionary Quds Force, about whom rumors had circulated for days regarding his status after the strike that killed Nasrallah.

At least two prominent Guard generals were not on hand: Gen. Amir Ali Hajizadeh, the commander of Guard’s aerospace division that oversees its missile program, and Gen. Ali Reza Tangsiri, commander of the Guard’s navy, did not attend.

Iran offered no explanation for their absence, though Israel has threatened to carry out a serious retaliatory strike against Iran.

DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip — Israeli strikes in the southern Gaza Strip killed at least 15 people overnight, including six children and two women, Palestinian medical officials said Tuesday.

A strike early Tuesday hit a house in the southern town of Beni Suhaila, killing at least 10 people from one extended family, according to Nasser Hospital in nearby Khan Younis. The dead include three children and one woman, according to hospital records. An Associated Press camera operator at the hospital counted the bodies.

In the nearby town of Fakhari, a strike hit a house early Tuesday, killing five people, including three children and a woman, according to the European Hospital, where the casualties were taken.

The Israeli military rarely comments on individual strikes. It says it tries to avoid harming civilians and blames their deaths on Hamas, accusing the militants of sheltering in civilian areas.

DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip — In northern Gaza, where Israel has been waging an air and ground campaign in Jabaliya for more than a week, residents said families were still trapped in their homes and shelters Tuesday.

Adel al-Deqes said his relatives tried to move to another place in Jabaliya in the morning, but the military shelled them.

“We don’t know who died and who is still alive,” he said.

Ahmed Awda, another Jabaliya resident, said they heard “constant bombing and gunfire” overnight and Tuesday morning. He said the military destroyed many buildings in the eastern and northern parts of the camp, which dates back to the 1948 war surrounding Israel’s creation.

“They bombed many buildings; some of them empty buildings,” he said.

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — The head of the expeditionary arm of Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard has appeared in television footage aired Tuesday by Iranian state television.

Rumors circulated for weeks over Gen. Esmail Qaani’s status in the time since an Israeli airstrike that killed Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in Beirut in late September. But Qaani, the head of the Quds Force, was seen in a black bomber jacket, wiping away tears at an event early Tuesday morning at Tehran’s Mehrabad International Airport.

While Iranian state television did not acknowledge the rumors, it made a point to film Qaani for over a minute and later share the footage from the airport ceremony online.

Qaani was on hand for the repatriation to Iran of the body of Revolutionary Guard Gen. Abbas Nilforushan, 58, who was killed in the airstrike.

WELLINGTON, New Zealand — Australia’s government has imposed targeted financial sanctions and travel bans on five Iranians contributing to the country’s missile defense program, Foreign Minister Penny Wong said Tuesday.

Iran’s launch of at least 180 ballistic missiles against Israel on Oct. 1 was “a dangerous escalation that increased the risk of a wider regional war,” Wong said in a statement.

The fresh sanctions target two directors and a senior official in Iran’s Aerospace Industries Organization, the director of the Shahid Bagheri Industrial Group, and the commercial director of the Shahid Hemmat Industrial Group.

The decision brings to 200 the number of Iran-linked individuals and entities now sanctioned by Australia.

“Australia will continue to hold Iran to account for its reckless and destabilizing actions,” Wong said.

People chant slogans during the funeral ceremony of the late Iranian Revolutionary Guard Gen. Abbas Nilforushan, who was killed in an Israeli airstrike in Beirut in late September, in Tehran, Iran, Tuesday, Oct. 15, 2024. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

People and officials attend the funeral ceremony of the late Iranian Revolutionary Guard Gen. Abbas Nilforushan, who was killed in an Israeli airstrike in Beirut in late September, in Tehran, Iran, Tuesday, Oct. 15, 2024. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

Commander of the Iran's Revolutionary Guard Quds Force, Gen. Esmail Qaani, mourns during the funeral ceremony of the late Revolutionary Guard Gen. Abbas Nilforushan, who was killed in an Israeli airstrike in Beirut in late September, in Tehran, Iran, Tuesday, Oct. 15, 2024. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

Mourners carry the coffin of Iranian Revolutionary Guards' deputy commander Brigadier Gen. Abbas Nilforushan who died alongside Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in an Israeli airstrike in Beirut last month during his funeral in Karbala, Iraq, Monday, Oct. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Anmar Khalil)

Palestinians look at the damage after an Israeli strike hit a tent area in the courtyard of Al Aqsa Martyrs hospital in Deir al Balah, Gaza Strip, Monday, Oct. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)

Pro-Israel protesters holds Israeli flags as demonstrators protest Israel's war against Hamas outside the New York Stock Exchange, Monday, Oct. 14, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

A displaced family fleeing the Israeli airstrikes in the south, sits next to their tent on Beirut's corniche, Lebanon, Monday, Oct. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)

Families fleeing the Israeli airstrikes in the south, sit in front of the Mohammad al-Amin Mosque in downtown Beirut, Lebanon, Monday, Oct. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)

Mourners carry a picture of slain Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah during the funeral procession of their relatives, in Maisara near the northern coastal town of Byblos, Lebanon, Monday, Oct. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)

Palestinians look at the damage after an Israeli strike hit a tent area in the courtyard of Al Aqsa Martyrs hospital in Deir al Balah, Gaza Strip, Monday, Oct. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)

Middle East latest: Israeli strikes on southern Gaza kill at least 15 people overnight

Middle East latest: Israeli strikes on southern Gaza kill at least 15 people overnight