The Korea Herald

지나쌤

Conan O’Brien conducts secret project with Park Jin-young

American talk show host wraps Korea trip with collaborative project with JYP head producer, under wraps

By KH디지털2

Published : Feb. 18, 2016 - 14:47

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American talk show host Conan O'Brien conducted a top secret project with Park Jin-young, the head producer of JYP Entertainment on Thursday, according to the entertainment agency.

O’Brien visited the JYP Entertainment building in Gangnam-gu, Seoul on Wednesday to discuss the content of the collaborative project. O‘Brien was joined by Korean-American actor Steven Yeun, who filmed a segment in Los Angeles with O’Brien in 2013 in which the two men visited a Korean spa and sauna.

Conan O‘Brien visits the MBC headquarters in Seoul on Tuesday. (MBC) Conan O‘Brien visits the MBC headquarters in Seoul on Tuesday. (MBC)

The collaborative project is rumored to be a music video, but JYP representatives remained mum on the specifics.

On the phone with The Korea Herald, a spokesperson confirmed that the project would be filmed Thursday, but that any official release of the content would “be decided after filming.” He also declined to say when an announcement, if any, would be made regarding the project.

The “Late Night” and “Tonight Show” star who now has his own show, “Conan,” arrived in Korea on Sunday to film a special segment in Seoul.

O‘Brien held a fan meeting with his Korean fans Monday at the POSCO P&S Tower in Gangnam-gu, which drew fire online because it was abruptly ended after just half an hour due to “scheduling conflicts.” The controversy grew further when a photo surfaced on social media of O’Brien and U.S. Ambassador to Korea Mark Lippert soon after the fan meeting, with fans asking if the fan meeting was cut short because of O’Brien‘s meeting with the ambassador.

Conan O’Brien learns taekwondo at Kukkiwon, World Taekwondo Headquarters, in Seoul on Wednesday. (Kukkiwon) Conan O’Brien learns taekwondo at Kukkiwon, World Taekwondo Headquarters, in Seoul on Wednesday. (Kukkiwon)

A person identifying himself as the director for “Conan” filming in Korea posted an apology on O’Brien’s official online fan community site Tuesday, explaining that “the fan meeting was scheduled for two hours including preparations, entrance, and cleanup” and that O’Brien was originally scheduled to appear for “an hour or less.”

On Tuesday, O’Brien filmed a cameo appearance on TV drama “Happy Ending Once More,” starring actress Jang Na-ra. On the show, Conan’s face was featured on the body of a goldfish talking to Jang’s character. On Wednesday, he visited Kukkiwon, World Taekwondo Headquarters, where he received lessons in the traditional martial art.

After completing the secret project with Park on Thursday, O‘Brien is scheduled to leave the country Friday.

By Won Ho-jung (hjwon@heraldcorp.com)