"If You Say So, I Can't Refuse"... Tak Hyunmin Reveals Why Psy Will Perform Without a Fee

Appearing Without Pay Despite the Hectic "Soaking Show" Tour
Tak Hyunmin: "Moved by Psy... Sorry and Grateful"

Singer Psy will take the stage at the "80th Liberation Day Eve Festival," which will be held on the central lawn of the National Assembly in Yeouido, Seoul, on the night of August 14. Despite his packed schedule due to his nationwide "Soaking Show" tour, Psy decided to participate in the eve festival without receiving any appearance fee.

Singer Psy is performing a congratulatory show at the 70th Armed Forces Day ceremony. Photo by Joint Press Corps

Tak Hyunmin, advisor for event planning to the Speaker of the National Assembly, appeared on CBS Radio's "Park Jaehong's One-on-One Match" on August 12 and directly shared the process of recruiting Psy. He said, "Because it was the eve of August 15 Liberation Day, I called Psy for the first time in three years. Psy rarely appears at other events, and during his tour, he doesn't do any other shows at all. After calling him, I regretted it, feeling I might have placed an unnecessary burden on him."

He continued, "After our call, I sent him a long text message saying, 'You don't have to do what I asked, so please don't feel pressured. I'm really sorry.' But then Psy called me right back and said, 'If you put it that way, how could I possibly say no?' Not only did he promise to perform, but he also said he wouldn't accept any appearance fee, which left me at a loss for words."

Tak previously served as the chief protocol secretary at the Blue House during the Moon Jae-in administration and is in charge of planning this year's 80th Liberation Day Eve Festival. He added, "Psy isn't performing because of me, and this isn't a commercial event, but I still felt very sorry and grateful to him." Psy also performed at the 70th Armed Forces Day ceremony on October 1, 2018, which was planned by Tak, without receiving any appearance fee.

Tak Hyunmin, advisor for event planning to the Speaker of the National Assembly, appeared on CBS Radio's "Park Jaehong's One-on-One Match" on the 12th and directly revealed the process of recruiting Psy. Photo by Kang Jinhyung

The Liberation Day Eve Festival is a large-scale cultural event commemorating Liberation Day on August 15, featuring performances by Kang San-ae, Gummy, Dynamic Duo, Mad Clown, Maytree and Kim Hyungseok, 10CM, Viviz, Ali, Crying Nut, Paul Kim, and others. Psy will close out the event with the final performance.

Since June 28, Psy has been on his "Soaking Show" tour, performing in nine cities nationwide, from Incheon to Gwangju on August 24. Immediately after his performance at the eve festival, he will travel to Busan to continue his tour with concerts on August 15 and 16.

Meanwhile, on Liberation Day itself, an official event called the "People's Inauguration Ceremony" will be held to commemorate President Lee Jaemyung's inauguration. However, the opposition parties, including the People Power Party, are reportedly planning not to attend. Regarding this, Tak emphasized the significance of Liberation Day as a unifying occasion, stating, "I believe we should persuade them and bring everyone together."