President Lee apologizes to JYP founder ahead of parliamentary audit appearance
J.Y. Park, founder and chief creative officer of JYP Entertainment, testified at a parliamentary audit on Wednesday over controversy surrounding his role in Fanomenon, a government-backed K-pop festival.
The K-pop mogul co-chairs the Presidential Committee on Popular Culture Exchange, a ministerial-level body formed last year. He attended the hearing session voluntarily.
Park was not originally on the committee’s witness list, he told SBS Radio on Monday. He said he contacted the National Assembly himself and volunteered to appear as a formal witness, saying he wanted to directly address questions surrounding the committee’s projects.
One of the key issues is the trademark for “Fanomenon,” a large-scale K-pop event being pursued by the committee, which was filed under the name of JYP Entertainment. Opposition lawmakers have raised questions over possible trademark monopoly and preferential treatment. Rep. Bae Hyun-jin, a lawmaker of the main opposition People Power Party, had called on Park to testify at the parliamentary audit.
Park explained that he initially proceeded with the trademark registration at his own expense to quickly protect the name “Fanomenon,” and that the trademark would be transferred once the entity responsible for the project is determined.
“This is a project that requires the four major entertainment companies — Hybe, SM, JYP and YG — to come together,” Park said. “If a particular company was trying to monopolize the trademark, would the other agencies cooperate? What was most difficult for me was having my sincerity questioned.”
A day before the parliamentary audit session, President Lee Jae Myung apologized to Park.
“I’m sorry to Chairman Park Jin-young. You have been working so hard to promote Korean culture around the world, even spending your own time and money without any compensation. I’m deeply sorry and regret that I was unable to show you the respect you deserved,” Lee wrote on social media.
“On behalf of the Korean people, I would like to express my gratitude to you. I know it may be presumptuous, but even if you feel disappointed, I hope you will put that behind you and work even harder so that K-pop, Korea and Korean culture can spread throughout the world,” Lee added.
Park said he decided to appear as a witness after learning about the difference between the two categories of parliamentary witnesses.
“I was told that a reference witness does not take an oath and cannot be prosecuted for perjury, while a witness can be punished for perjury if they lie,” Park said. “So I said, ‘Then I’ll appear as a witness.’”
Park also addressed criticism that he has been receiving approximately 2 million won ($1,400) a month in official operating expenses despite previously saying he would serve as committee co-chair without pay.
“If I didn’t receive the operating expenses, a successor could later be pressured with questions like, ‘Why are you receiving them when Park Jin-young didn’t?’” Park said. “I accepted them to create an environment in which the next person can work according to their convictions.”
He also spoke about the difficulties of serving in public office.
“Our company’s principle is not to get close to political circles, so we don’t even have a government-relations function,” he said. “But if K-pop and K-culture are to take another leap forward in global markets, administrative support that goes beyond the limitations of the private sector is necessary.”
Park said YG founder Yang Hyun-suk and Hybe Chairman Bang Si-hyuk had also agreed to support the initiative.
“But because this is a government project involving taxpayer money, the procedures are complicated, and there are many points of friction, so it takes far more time and effort than I expected,” he said.
Earlier this year, when introducing “Fanomenon,” Park said the project grew from a vision he had pursued since JYP Entertainment’s early, costly push into the US market.
“Just imagining fans around the world turning their eyes to Seoul every December takes my breath away,” he said. “This is a hard, almost absurd thing to pull off. Please help us a little.”
gypark@heraldcorp.com
