KOR-Creed of 'keeping distance from politics'... Initially rejected government proposal
-Limits to private sector alone... Accepted chairmanship on condition of continuing company work
-K-pop hits its first limit... Reached as far as it can go as 'Korean content'
-1980s Hong Kong cinema, 1990s reggae, 2000s K-pop
-Could end as a passing fad... Foundation needed for longevity
-FANOMENON aims to transform content into a 'fandom industry'
-Different from the Grammys... 'Fandoms,' not singers, will be the award winners
-Hardest part is suspicion of pursuing private gain under guise of public interest
-Volunteered to appear as audit witness... Need burden of perjury for people to believe
-Four-agency collaboration, yet JYP monopolizes trademark? Who would cooperate?
-Trademark split half-and-half between government and private sector... Mechanism to prevent self-interest
-Unaware of compensation... Worried returning it would make things difficult for successor
-Handled both public duty and company work during overseas trips despite internal pushback
-Who would take on government work? Must leave a good precedent for public-private cooperation
■ Broadcast: SBS Kim Tae-hyun's Political Show (FM 103.5 MHz 7:00 – 9:00 AM)
■ Date: Tuesday, October 6, 2026
■ Host: Attorney Kim Tae-hyun
■ Guest: Jinyoung, Co-chair of the Presidential Popular Culture Exchange Committee
[Kim Tae-hyun]: He writes songs, sings well, dances well, and produces stars—and now he has stepped forward to build a new stage for K-culture. We will ask him directly what kind of work he plans to do, why he must partner with the government, and address the controversial points that arose along the way. "JYP." Am I doing this right? Joining us is Jinyoung, Co-chair of the Presidential Popular Culture Exchange Committee. Hello.
[Jinyoung]: "JYP." Hello. I am Jinyoung.
[Kim Tae-hyun]: Hearing you do it rather than me, it really sounds like "half air, half sound" comes out much better. Right? "JYP." Isn't that right? Because when you look at songs produced by Co-chair Jinyoung, that signature intro is in so many of them—both your own tracks and those of your agency's artists. That always left an impression on me. Whenever people talk about you, it's always "half air, half sound." How is my vocalization?
[Jinyoung]: It is good.
[Kim Tae-hyun]: Among all the guests we have hosted on Political Show, Co-chair Jinyoung probably has the highest nationwide recognition, since the president hasn't been on yet. Compared to many politicians, you are a star guest with nationwide name recognition. How do you feel? You've stood on countless major stages across the country, but tomorrow you have to face a parliamentary audit. You've experienced many big stages, but a stage and a parliamentary audit are entirely different playing fields. Are you feeling nervous?
[Jinyoung]: It is a very pleasant tension.
[Kim Tae-hyun]: A pleasant tension?
[Jinyoung]: Yes.
[Kim Tae-hyun]: But especially with the offensive from opposition lawmakers expected to be fierce, it might not all be pleasant.
[Jinyoung]: While I have never appeared at a parliamentary audit, I have watched them a lot and know the atmosphere well. Nevertheless, I believe that if I convey the truth and my sincerity honestly, it will turn out to be a very meaningful occasion.
[Kim Tae-hyun]: Let's start with this. When the Lee Jae-myung administration first took office and announced ministerial-level appointments, the appointment that drew the most attention and surprise was Jinyoung, Chief Producer of JYP, as Co-chair of the Presidential Popular Culture Exchange Committee. First, could you explain what the Popular Culture Exchange Committee does?
[Jinyoung]: Contact came shortly after the new administration took office. However, our company's creed has always been to stay away from politics.
[Kim Tae-hyun]: Right.
[Jinyoung]: That's why, for a company of our scale, it's rare not to have a government relations department.
[Kim Tae-hyun]: You don't have a government relations department?
[Jinyoung]: We have no government affairs department, no personnel in charge of government relations, and we simply don't engage in it at all. We never do government lobbying.
[Kim Tae-hyun]: I see.
[Jinyoung]: So when something like this came up, they genuinely didn't even know how to reach our company. They had to ask around before finally contacting us. When they asked to meet, I met with Chief of Staff Kang Hoon-sik, but I had a strange feeling. I felt like they were going to ask me to take on a role. So I went to the meeting thinking about how to say no. In the end, they said the government could help popular culture, K-culture, and our nation's culture grow further, and asked me to take the job. I declined. Because the work my company has to do right now is far too important. Even for the sake of our country's culture, there are things our company must do. Right now, K-pop is leading K-culture, and within K-pop, the four major agencies are at the very forefront. These agencies need to perform well for K-pop to thrive, which then allows it to spread across K-culture. That was why I declined.
[Kim Tae-hyun]: Yes.
[Jinyoung]: The reason I eventually decided to accept was that they told me I could do it while continuing my company work.
[Kim Tae-hyun]: As a non-standing position.
[Jinyoung]: Yes. I told them that quitting my company work right now would cause major problems, so they offered a non-standing post where I could continue my company duties. When I asked, "What about this? What about that?" they resolved all those issues, so I ended up taking it. Returning to your original question about what the committee does, its role is to help K-culture grow further and last longer. Because K-pop plays such a crucial role within it, the goal is to foster K-pop's growth and sustainability so that it expands throughout K-culture, exerting a positive global impact—not exclusive or closed-off growth, but shared growth. That is what we do.
[Kim Tae-hyun]: But as you mentioned, artists from the four major agencies—JYP, SM, YG, and HYBE—are already active worldwide.
[Jinyoung]: Yes.
[Kim Tae-hyun]: If those four agencies do well on their own, K-pop will grow and K-culture will expand. Why was there a need for the government to step in and create this committee? For support?
[Jinyoung]: To get straight to the point, there are limits.
[Kim Tae-hyun]: Limits to what the private sector can do alone?
[Jinyoung]: There are limits to what can be done privately, and on the front lines, Chairman Bang Si-hyuk, Hyunsuk, and I all hit a wall. In that situation, there was a shared consensus that to move from this stage to the next, joining forces to build a platform or system would make leaping to the next level much easier. That is why I decided to take on this role, and Hyunsuk and Si-hyuk agreed to help, so we joined forces. Because it was necessary.
[Kim Tae-hyun]: You mean government support and similar backing are helpful for further growth. I saw in another broadcast interview that you mentioned feeling like you'd fallen for a "job scam." Initially, Chief of Staff Kang Hoon-sik told you to keep doing your company work and just help out part-time in a non-standing capacity, right?
[Jinyoung]: Yes.
[Kim Tae-hyun]: But once you started, it seemed you found it extremely difficult. Why did the phrase "job scam" come up?
[Jinyoung]: It wasn't that the work itself was hard, but it was my first time experiencing what it means to work with a government organization. Since it involves spending taxpayers' money, the procedures and requirements turned out to be surprisingly demanding and complicated.
[Kim Tae-hyun]: Of course.
[Jinyoung]: And whenever I tried to do something, there were so many obstacles. Resolving those issues required an unexpected amount of time and effort. The actual work that needs to be done for K-pop and K-culture is exciting—even now, my heart races every single day. But the procedures...
[Kim Tae-hyun]: Understandably so.
[Jinyoung]: Wow, it really wasn't easy. But I think that's only natural, since it's being done with public tax money.
[Kim Tae-hyun]: Lawmakers will likely ask many questions about those procedures during tomorrow's parliamentary audit, so we can discuss that in a moment as a practice test. When I think of JYP, I recall "Don't Leave Me"—was that 1993?
[Jinyoung]: It was 1994.
[Kim Tae-hyun]: Was it 1994?
[Jinyoung]: Yes.
[Kim Tae-hyun]: I bought two or three copies of that album back then. Why did I buy two or three copies of the same album? Maybe to listen to one in the car and one at home? Starting from "Proposal Song," I bought multiple albums—there wasn't anything I didn't buy. In any case, among the major agencies, JYP was the very first to attempt advancing its artists into the U.S. market, with the Wonder Girls.
[Jinyoung]: Yes.
[Kim Tae-hyun]: Even though SM had advanced into Japan before that.
[Jinyoung]: Taking the Wonder Girls happened later; we started preparing that in 2007. The first time I crossed over, just Si-hyuk and me, was in 2003.
[Kim Tae-hyun]: With Chairman Bang Si-hyuk.
[Jinyoung]: At that time, Daum Communications owned 50% of our company. So when I said I was going to enter the U.S., they vehemently opposed it, saying no. Not a single penny of company money could be spent. The reason was simple: zero probability.
[Kim Tae-hyun]: Back then, that made sense.
[Jinyoung]: It sounded completely absurd. So they said if I wanted to go, I had to use personal funds, and if I couldn't get a track onto a Billboard Top 10 album within a year—because in Korea, JYP Entertainment's success was largely due to my abilities as a composer—only if I proved my songwriting ability in the U.S. would they, as a company,
[Kim Tae-hyun]: Support you.
[Jinyoung]: That's why I went over. During that year, I couldn't use company money and had to cover everything personally, but up until then, I had put all my songwriting royalties into the company's revenue. So I had no personal savings.
[Kim Tae-hyun]: Right.
[Jinyoung]: So Si-hyuk and I crashed at an acquaintance's house. We rented a single room and built a studio in an empty spot in the underground parking garage. But in our eleventh month, we managed to place a song on a Billboard Top 10 album. Daum, our 50% shareholder, was stunned. They told us to go ahead. From then on, we went with budget support—and blew it all.
[Kim Tae-hyun]: Hearing about the Wonder Girls' U.S. debut, you went through a lot of hardships. You've talked about that several times on broadcast.
[Jinyoung]: The Lehman Brothers collapse was simply traumatic in my life. We had prepared about four projects back then. Everything was set to go, but when the Lehman Brothers financial crisis hit, everything shut down—literally everything. Having wagered an astronomical sum of money by the standards of that era, my world went dark. If we had tried and failed, at least we could analyze the cause. It was like training completely for a boxing match only to have the match canceled. But the sweat, effort, and money poured in up to that point... I felt so aggrieved. I remember feeling completely shattered back then. Even so, the challenge we took on again after that was the Wonder Girls. And for the first time in our country's history, we put a song on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
[Kim Tae-hyun]: It must be very different now compared to then when artists advance abroad. Sending the Wonder Girls back then versus now with Stray Kids and TWICE going overseas must be a world of difference.
[Jinyoung]: I cannot talk about this without tearing up. Truly.
[Kim Tae-hyun]: I've heard a lot about it. I remember the stories you shared on variety shows in the past about performing with the Wonder Girls. The status of K-pop itself is vastly different now compared to back then.
[Jinyoung]: Back then, waiting two hours in a lobby just to meet working-level staff was standard. Today, the owners of those companies—the people who move the global entertainment industry in the U.S. and around the world—fly to Korea for meetings.
[Kim Tae-hyun]: To that extent?
[Jinyoung]: Yes.
[Kim Tae-hyun]: In less than 20 years, that is an incredible...
[Jinyoung]: It is unbelievable. It took exactly 20 years.
[Kim Tae-hyun]: What do you think was the biggest secret behind K-pop rising to dominate the global pop market in just 20 years?
[Jinyoung]: Of course, at the core lies the blood, sweat, and tears of the artists and fans. In terms of the surrounding system, the biggest factor was digitalization. Instead of watching local media outlets—SBS in Korea or MTV in the U.S.—the medium of YouTube emerged.
[Kim Tae-hyun]: I see.
[Jinyoung]: Second, language barriers crumbled. The biggest reasons I believed K-pop could work in the U.S. were: American youth aren't watching local media anymore; third, they don't care about skin color; and language seemed solvable. Even though the odds were less than 10% back then, those three factors made me take the chance.
[Kim Tae-hyun]: I see. If people don't care about the medium or skin color, you definitely have a shot.
[Jinyoung]: And language.
[Kim Tae-hyun]: We can also use English for language, and Korean songs are inherently great anyway. Understood. Last week, I interviewed Senior Presidential Secretary for Public Relations Seong Gi-hong. You accompanied the President and First Lady to Mexico recently. You watched a Stray Kids concert there, and he shared an anecdote that First Lady Kim Hea-kyung even knew the nickname "Bangbeoji" (Father Bang), surprising everyone in attendance. Having been there, what was the atmosphere like in Mexico regarding K-pop?
[Jinyoung]: It is easily counted among the most passionate places in the world.
[Kim Tae-hyun]: Really?
[Jinyoung]: Yes.
[Kim Tae-hyun]: Even more so than the U.S. market?
[Jinyoung]: In terms of market size, the U.S. is larger, of course.
[Kim Tae-hyun]: Naturally.
[Jinyoung]: But in terms of passion, one could almost say Mexico is even hotter.
[Kim Tae-hyun]: I saw footage of fans flocking in front of the presidential palace. So it's really that intense.
[Jinyoung]: Yes.
[Kim Tae-hyun]: But K-pop is doing so well right now, as are JYP's artists. Yet some argue that while doing well is great, there are also aspects of a crisis. Why is that?
[Jinyoung]: Rather than a crisis, it is accurate to say we have reached our first limit. That is why I took on this government role.
[Kim Tae-hyun]: Why is it a first limit? In what sense?
[Jinyoung]: The first limit refers to how far the K-pop market can expand in its current state—without localization. In other words, I believe we have gone as far as we can go with the label of "Korean singer" or "Korean content."
[Kim Tae-hyun]: So you're saying that from now on, it shouldn't matter whether an act is Korean, Japanese, or American?
[Jinyoung]: The next step is launching American singers in the U.S. and Mexican singers in Mexico.
[Kim Tae-hyun]: Ah, in that way.
[Jinyoung]: We actually did this in Asia. The barrier was lower in Asia because launching a Japanese singer in Japan, they look the same. Launching a Chinese singer in China, they look the same. But now this is a completely different game. Once you cross over into Western countries, physical appearances are entirely different, and cultures are very different. So localizing there is a whole different ballgame compared to localizing in Japan or China.
[Kim Tae-hyun]: So you mean, instead of creating Stray Kids in Korea and sending them to the U.S., JYP goes to America and forms an idol group made entirely of Caucasian or Black American members and makes them successful there.
[Jinyoung]: Exactly. While all four agencies have that intention to some extent, HYBE and JYP are pursuing it most aggressively, investing significant time, effort, and money.
[Kim Tae-hyun]: Based on these experiences and deliberations, you are promoting "FANOMENON." What kind of event is this?
[Jinyoung]: It is an awards ceremony. While it is an awards ceremony and a festival, the core is the awards. Historically, there have been times when a single pop culture took global dominance—for example, Hong Kong cinema in the 1980s, or Latin reggae music in the 1990s. K-pop could very well end up like that. There is a high probability.
[Kim Tae-hyun]: Sweeping the world.
[Jinyoung]: Right. So what I keep pondering is that from a national perspective, this is clearly an area where we have a comparative advantage. If you were asked to name 10 clear comparative advantages our country has, this is one of them.
[Kim Tae-hyun]: True.
[Jinyoung]: Furthermore, even if direct revenue isn't astronomical, the intangible national benefit—the kind that doesn't appear on balance sheets—is massive.
[Kim Tae-hyun]: Intangible benefits.
[Jinyoung]: Exactly. Because the image of our country spreads across all sectors. That's why making this bigger and longer-lasting is of immense benefit to the nation.
[Kim Tae-hyun]: Right.
[Jinyoung]: So from what perspective should we approach this? The goal is to transform content into an industry. Right now, K-pop is content. But if we transform it into a "fandom industry" and take the lead in this industry, we enter a different dimension. Then it won't just be that K-pop boomed in the 2000s and disappeared; it will endure as an industry. So how do we transform it into an industry, and how do we ensure our country retains leadership in it? I thought of something like the Nobel Prize.
[Kim Tae-hyun]: The Nobel Prize?
[Jinyoung]: Every year during Nobel Prize season, all eyes turn there.
[Kim Tae-hyun]: That's true.
[Jinyoung]: And today, it's virtually impossible for any country to create an award that could replace the Nobel Prize.
[Kim Tae-hyun]: Absolutely.
[Jinyoung]: If we define the fandom industry and begin giving awards to the artists or companies that performed best from the perspective of this fandom industry...
[Kim Tae-hyun]: Giving awards to artists and companies that excelled in the fandom industry?
[Jinyoung]: Yes.
[Kim Tae-hyun]: That's a somewhat different concept from what we've seen. For instance, the Grammy Awards give prizes for great songs and great albums. But you're talking about companies that excelled in the fandom industry?
[Jinyoung]: Correct. Global corporations often approach JYP for consulting. Whether they make smartphones or any B2C business—B2B is a bit different—for B2C, the central challenge is how to build enthusiastic, loyal customers. From the outside looking in, K-pop looks like the ultimate machine for creating passionate customers.
[Kim Tae-hyun]: I understand.
[Jinyoung]: They ask us how we do it. So they view this as an industry. Regular companies outside the cultural sector are already asking us for this consulting.
[Kim Tae-hyun]: If you have a fandom, to put it bluntly, even if a song JYP releases isn't that great, having a fandom allows you to keep releasing albums, and the company survives as long as the fandom sticks around.
[Jinyoung]: Once you have passionate customers, they become partners, transcending simple consumers. Looking at the past, the iPhone had passionate fans—though perhaps a bit less so these days—which set it apart from other companies. Everyone knows how immensely beneficial this is to a business. So if we define and establish this industrially and start hosting an awards show that recognizes achievements based on these criteria... For example, comparing and awarding the top 10 sports teams with the most passionate fandoms this year—whether it's Manchester football in England, the Lakers in basketball, a baseball team, or a cricket team in Australia—if we begin doing that...
[Kim Tae-hyun]: That is ingenious.
[Jinyoung]: Returning to music, the award winner isn't the singer, but that singer's fandom. No one has ever given awards to fans before.
[Kim Tae-hyun]: That's true, never. This could expand across multiple industries.
[Jinyoung]: We start in our field and eventually expand into fashion, sports, and beyond. That way, we transform it into a fandom industry and establish it as a long-term comparative advantage for our country.
[Kim Tae-hyun]: Recently regarding the Grammys, BTS boycotted them, and Stray Kids once boycotted as well over the Asian Pop category issue. Is that in the same vein? The power of fandom—that even with a boycott, it doesn't really diminish their influence because they have their fandom?
[Jinyoung]: First of all, as we see it, those newly created criteria have unintended side effects. Even if the Grammys say that wasn't their intention, and even if we fully trust their intentions, the reality is that adverse side effects exist. And it directly clashes with what K-pop has been striving toward. The Grammys say, "That's not what we intended," and we hear that. Even if we accept that explanation, side effects remain.
[Kim Tae-hyun]: Right.
[Jinyoung]: Returning to your question, having fans backing us certainly allows us to act with greater confidence. Because the fans are there.
[Kim Tae-hyun]: So could FANOMENON, though in a different field, eventually become an awards ceremony rivaling the Grammys?
[Jinyoung]: I hope it becomes a different kind of awards show.
[Kim Tae-hyun]: Completely different?
[Jinyoung]: Yes. I hope this becomes an awards ceremony for the fandom industry, not a content awards show.
[Kim Tae-hyun]: It really is in an entirely different domain, isn't it?
[Jinyoung]: It might look similar in execution, but the intention is different.
[Kim Tae-hyun]: Understood. Now that we know what the event is, let's move to a practice run for tomorrow's parliamentary audit. Any good initiative or emerging industry comes with controversy. Tomorrow at the audit, opposition lawmakers in particular are likely to press on this. People talk a lot about the money. According to the government's explanation, the event costs will be financed privately, while 15 billion won is allocated in next year's government budget for tourism promotion and supporting SME participation. Ultimately, the crucial question is: who invests, how is it spent, and who takes the profits? How is this structured?
[Jinyoung]: Before answering that question, there is a fundamental issue. The hardest part of this work isn't having problems pointed out. If a criticism is valid, I can apologize and correct it; if it's a misunderstanding, I can clear it up. But the hardest part of doing this work is having my sincerity questioned. When that happens, momentum drains away. What I mean is, our stated goal is the sustainability of K-pop and K-culture. But people ask, "Don't you have a hidden agenda?"
[Kim Tae-hyun]: Like, "Aren't you doing this for trademark rights?"
[Jinyoung]: Suspicions like, "You claim to pursue the public interest, but your real purpose is private gain, right?" Having my sincerity questioned like that, and seeing that atmosphere take hold, is extremely painful. That's why I volunteered to attend tomorrow's audit. I simply contacted the National Assembly and said, "I will appear."
[Kim Tae-hyun]: Really?
[Jinyoung]: Yes. They asked, "Do you want to appear as a reference witness or as a formal witness?" When I asked about the difference, they said reference witnesses don't take an oath and carry no risk of being indicted for perjury. I said, "Put me down for the one where I can be indicted. I will go as a witness. If I lie, let me face perjury charges." When I told them that, they seemed rather taken aback. Usually, people prefer options without legal liability.
[Kim Tae-hyun]: Right. Most avoid it even if called.
[Jinyoung]: The reason I wanted something legally binding was the hope that people might believe me. I felt people would only believe me if I subjected myself to punishment for perjury. So while I will answer all questions honestly, what I most want to convey is, "He is sincere."
[Kim Tae-hyun]: That you are truly sincere about this?
[Jinyoung]: That this is sincere, and pursuing the public interest is my true purpose. If I can convey just that to all the lawmakers...
[Kim Tae-hyun]: That profiting from any potential revenue isn't your goal?
[Jinyoung]: That that's not primary, and this isn't pursuing private gain under the guise of public interest—if only that gets across, I couldn't ask for anything more.
[Kim Tae-hyun]: Understood. The main controversy reported in the news was the trademark. Even though this is being pursued with the government, the initial application was filed under JYP's name. Then, looking at Culture Minister Choi Hwi-young's remarks, it will later be transferred to a dedicated corporation handling FANOMENON once established. Is that correct?
[Jinyoung]: Of course, how could it not be? If I were to keep that... The strength of this project lies in the four agencies coming together. Honestly, these four companies have almost never been on entirely good terms.
[Kim Tae-hyun]: Understandably so.
[Jinyoung]: Because they are rivals. The only one who has always been on good terms with everyone is me. I've always had good relationships with SM, YG, and HYBE. That's why, when I suggested we do this together, it actually happened. They think, "Jinyoung is a bit naive," so no one doubts my sincerity. But if my company were to hoard the trademark while doing this, who would cooperate? So that should never have been in doubt. The reason we did it this way was that it costs a lot of money: 40 million won domestically, and at least 600 million to 700 million won abroad. Someone had to act quickly. Once announced, the word "FANOMENON" is such a brilliant name—in my own assessment. If someone else registered it, we couldn't use it. We had to register it immediately. And our company already had a team capable of doing this. We had to register it first.
[Kim Tae-hyun]: Securing it first with your own money.
[Jinyoung]: Securing it first, and once a dedicated entity is established, transferring it over. That really is all there is to it. The idea that JYP would keep this trademark? Absolutely not.
[Kim Tae-hyun]: Another criticism is that even if it's transferred to a dedicated corporation, that corporation is a joint venture among the four major agencies. Critics ask how it makes sense for the private sector to monopolize all rights to a state-funded project.
[Jinyoung]: That is a completely valid point. For each project, you have to decide quickly whether it will be run by the state, by a public-private partnership, or by the private sector. Should this be a government project, and what are the pros and cons? Should it be a private project, and what are the pros and cons? How should we handle this specific project? That is how it should work. For FANOMENON, we reviewed and simulated various models: creating a joint foundation, leading it through the state, or leading it privately. In the end, after full discussion, we concluded that private leadership was better. And the decision was made: don't use government funds for the core event.
[Kim Tae-hyun]: Right.
[Jinyoung]: Nevertheless, to guarantee the public interest, while the private sector leads it, the trademark is held fifty-fifty. If it veers toward private greed against the public interest, the government can block the use of the trademark.
[Kim Tae-hyun]: The government can?
[Jinyoung]: Yes. That is why it was split 50-50. However, using government money severely hampers agility and flexibility. This is unchartered territory, and there are countless decisions that need to be made swiftly. We said, "Don't put in government funds; use private money." Otherwise, I felt we couldn't make it a success. In exchange for private execution, two safeguards were put in place: first, splitting the trademark 50-50 to prevent it from degenerating into private profit-seeking. Second, we had the corporation formed by the four major K-pop companies sign a contract with the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism. Three clauses were included to prevent the loss of public interest, establishing safeguards to preserve it. As for the 15 billion won in government funds, it is strictly deployed to support SMEs, procure booths, and fund other measures necessary to uphold the public interest.
[Kim Tae-hyun]: Understood. There is one more question likely to come up tomorrow. You mentioned serving without compensation, but some point out that you receive business expenses—around 2 million to 3 million won per month—and ask why you claimed it was uncompensated. What is that about?
[Jinyoung]: That is a very valid point. First of all, I had no idea I was receiving it.
[Kim Tae-hyun]: That could certainly happen.
[Jinyoung]: As embarrassing as it is to say.
[Kim Tae-hyun]: No, because that really could happen.
[Jinyoung]: I genuinely didn't know. Once I found out, the simple solution would be to say, "I said I would serve without pay, so I won't take it," and return the money. In fact, I lean toward doing just that. Because, as I said, once your sincerity is questioned, doing the work becomes very difficult. Rather than letting this 2 million won cast doubt on my sincerity and undermine our momentum, returning it to uphold my original statement of uncompensated service would be better. But this is the most important point I want to make today—it is the core reason I appeared on the show. Looking at global trends, public-private partnerships need to increase. Organizations like the Presidential Popular Culture Exchange Committee need to expand into semiconductors, defense, and all other sectors. That's why this needs to serve as a good model of public-private cooperation.
[Kim Tae-hyun]: Yes.
[Jinyoung]: Having done the work, the current system simply isn't set up for public-private cooperation. For instance—and this will come up tomorrow—I had to go on a business trip to New York. When I tried to handle both government duties and company work, the staff pushed back strongly. They told me to go do the government work and then return to Korea.
[Kim Tae-hyun]: And fly out again?
[Jinyoung]: They told me to fly back out again for company work. I said, "Pardon?" If it works like this, no one will ever take this job. Who would accept it? So even though I knew it might cause friction, I said, "No. Even if it becomes an issue, I will go and handle both government business and company work together." So despite internal pushback from our committee staff, I deliberately—well, "deliberately" might sound awkward, but I did it knowingly. Things like this have to keep happening. And if I refuse to take the business expense allowance, people might say to my successor, "Jinyoung didn't take it, so why do you?" That would make things very difficult for whoever comes next.
[Kim Tae-hyun]: Understood. Co-chair, we have run out of time.
[Jinyoung]: Already?
[Kim Tae-hyun]: Yes. We will wrap up here. That was Jinyoung, Chief Producer of JYP and Co-chair of the Presidential Popular Culture Exchange Committee. Thank you.
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[SBS Kim Tae-hyun's Political Show]
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.
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