JYP founder denies privilege allegations in mega K-pop project

Park Jin-young rejected allegations of preferential treatment in Seoul on Wednesday during a parliamentary audit of the government-backed Fanomenon K-pop festival. JYP Entertainment and three other agencies have led preparations for the event, scheduled for December next year. Park defended the project’s broader goal of driving growth across industries including gaming and fashion, while acknowledging procedural flaws in JYP’s advance trademark filings.

Fanomenon is expected to attract more than 500,000 visitors and generate an economic impact approaching 1 trillion won ($735.8 million).

Rep. Bae Hyun-jin criticized the agencies’ joint venture for proceeding without a standard public bidding process.

JYP Entertainment applied in advance for Fanomenon trademark rights in the United States, Japan and Mexico.

Park said JYP intended to transfer the trademark rights after the official event entity was established.

Published Oct 7, 2026 8:39 pm KST

Park Jin-young says four agencies chose to forgo higher profits to drive cross-industry growth

Park Jin-young, founder of JYP Entertainment and co-chair of the Presidential Committee on Popular Culture Exchange, testifies as a sworn witness before the National Assembly’s Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee during its annual parliamentary audit in Seoul, Wednesday. Yonhap

Park Jin-young, JYP Entertainment's founder and co-chair of the Presidential Committee on Popular Culture Exchange, rejected allegations of preferential treatment involving his agency in preparations for a global K-culture festival during a parliamentary audit held at the National Assembly in Seoul, Wednesday.

The high-stakes hearing focused on "Fanomenon," a multi-day K-pop festival and awards initiative scheduled for December next year. His agency, together with three other entertainment agencies, has been spearheading the project since early this year. The event is anticipated to draw more than 500,000 visitors, with an estimated economic impact approaching 1 trillion won ($735.8 million).

However, critics argue the project only serves the interest of the entertainment companies.

"The four agencies can do much more business doing other things instead of organizing 'Fanomenon," Park said during the hearing.

"All the companies had to sacrifice so much for this. It was really tough to pull off. But everyone made a bold decision to commit because they saw the long-term vision — the ripple effect this will have on Korea and how it will spill over into other industries," he said. "So calling this a 'special privilege' or 'preferential treatment' just doesn't sit right."

Rep. Bae Hyun-jin of the conservative People Power Party was particularly critical of the four agencies establishing a joint venture to run the state-backed project without a standard public bidding process.

Scrutiny also centered on revelations that JYP Entertainment had preemptively applied for overseas trademark rights to "Fanomenon" in markets including the U.S., Japan and Mexico.

While acknowledging procedural flaws, Park defended the intent behind the filings.

"Because JYP already had a dedicated team in place, taking steps like filing in advance before transferring the rights to the government or a dedicated entity is certainly not entirely normal," Park said. "However, it stemmed from a desire to do things well and a concern that someone else might preemptively claim the trademark."

He added that JYP intended to transfer the trademark rights once the official event entity was fully established.

When questioned why the government was involved in an enterprise that private companies could execute for profit, Park reiterated that the scope extends beyond music: "If you strictly consider the four biggest agencies, it would be better for us not to do this. We are taking this on to drive cross-industry growth into areas like gaming and fashion."

Park also rejected the idea of political motives behind his public involvement.

"Even if the president — or someone higher than the president — asked me, I wouldn't do it unless it were for the good of our country," Park told lawmakers. "I am not the type of person who gets intimidated or takes orders from anyone. If this project succeeds, it benefits Korea, and our nation's sons and daughters will reap the rewards. I am not doing this for the president or the ruling party. I don't even know when the next general election is. Please, trust me."

周三，在国会就政府支持的Fanomenon K-pop音乐节进行审计时，朴振英驳斥了有关首尔方面给予特殊待遇的指控。JYP娱乐公司​​和其他三家公司负责筹备该音乐节，活动定于明年12月举行。朴振英为该项目旨在推动包括游戏和时尚在内的各行业发展的更广泛目标进行了辩护，同时也承认JYP在商标预注册方面存在程序缺陷。

Fanomenon 预计将吸引超过 50 万名游客，并产生接近 1 万亿韩元（7.358 亿美元）的经济影响。

议员裴贤真批评这些机构的合资企业没有经过标准的公开招标程序就进行。

JYP娱乐公司​​事先已在美国、日本和墨西哥申请了Fanomenon商标权。

朴先生表示，JYP计划在官方活动实体成立后转让商标权。

发布于2026年10月7日晚上8:39（韩国标准时间）

朴振英表示，四家机构选择放弃更高的利润，以推动跨行业增长。

JYP娱乐公司​​创始人、总统大众文化交流委员会联席主席朴振英周三在首尔出席国会文化体育观光委员会年度国会审计，并宣誓作证。韩联社

周三，在首尔国会举行的国会审计中，JYP娱乐公司​​创始人兼总统大众文化交流委员会联合主席朴振英驳斥了有关其公司在筹备全球K文化节过程中享有特殊待遇的指控。

这场备受瞩目的听证会聚焦于“Fanomenon”，这是一项为期数天的K-pop音乐节暨颁奖典礼，计划于明年12月举行。他的经纪公司与其他三家娱乐公司自今年年初以来一直在牵头筹备该项目。预计该活动将吸引超过50万名观众，经济效益估计接近1万亿韩元（约合7.358亿美元）。

然而，批评人士认为，该项目仅仅服务于娱乐公司的利益。

帕克在听证会上说：“这四个机构与其组织‘Fanomenon’，不如去做其他事情，这样能做更多的事情。”

“所有公司都为此付出了巨大的牺牲。这真的很难实现。但每个人都做出了大胆的决定，因为他们看到了长远的愿景——这将对韩国产生的连锁反应，以及它将如何波及其他行业，”他说。“所以，称之为‘特殊待遇’或‘优惠待遇’是不对的。”

保守派国民力量党议员裴贤真尤其批评这四个机构在没有经过标准公开招标程序的情况下成立合资企业来运营这个国家支持的项目。

审查的重点还在于，有消息透露 JYP Entertainment 已抢先在美国、日本和墨西哥等市场申请了“Fanomenon”的海外商标权。

朴某承认程序上存在缺陷，但他为提交文件的初衷辩护。

朴先生表示：“由于JYP公司已经组建了专门的团队，在将商标权转让给政府或指定机构之前就提前提交申请，这当然不是完全正常的。但这源于公司希望把事情做好，以及担心其他人会抢先申请商标权。”

他还补充说，JYP计划在官方活动实体完全成立后转让商标权。

当被问及政府为何要介入私营公司可以盈利的行业时，朴槿惠重申，其范围远不止音乐：“如果仅仅考虑四大经纪公司，我们最好不要参与其中。我们之所以这样做，是为了推动跨行业发展，拓展到游戏、时尚等领域。”

朴槿惠也否认了他参与公共事务的背后存在政治动机。

“即便总统——或者比总统级别更高的人——要求我去做，除非是为了国家利益，否则我绝不会去做，”朴槿惠对议员们说。“我不是那种会被吓倒或听命于任何人的人。如果这个项目成功，将造福韩国，我们国家的儿女也将从中受益。我做这件事不是为了总统或执政党。我甚至不知道下次大选是什么时候。请相信我。”