President Lee Jae-myung expressed his thoughts toward Jinyoung, co-chair of the Popular Culture Exchange Committee, who is set to appear as a witness at the National Assembly's parliamentary audit, stating, "You are working so hard to export South Korean culture without pay, devoting your time and spending your own money, and I feel deeply regretful and sorry that we could not accord you the proper courtesy."

Writing on his social media today (October 6), President Lee conveyed his gratitude, saying, "The people of Korea and the cultural history of the Republic of Korea will remember Jinyoung's dedication and hard work."

He continued, "I extend my gratitude on behalf of the public," and asked, "Though I feel shameless asking, I hope you will brush aside any hurt feelings and work a little harder so that K-pop and South Korean culture can spread across the world."

Addressing the public, President Lee added, "I hope you will also praise and encourage him."

Co-chair Jinyoung is scheduled to appear as a witness tomorrow (October 7) at the parliamentary audit of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, conducted by the National Assembly's Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee.

While the committee had not reached a bipartisan agreement on whether to select Co-chair Jinyoung as a witness, Jinyoung reportedly expressed his intention to attend voluntarily.

Appearing today on SBS Radio's "Kim Tae-hyun's Political Show," Co-chair Jinyoung said, "I thought people would only believe my sincerity—that 'pursuing the public interest is my true objective'—if I appeared as a witness subject to penalties for perjury, rather than as a reference witness."

Regarding the controversy over his agency, JYP Entertainment, solely filing for some overseas trademarks of "Fanomenon," a global K-pop festival scheduled for December next year, he explained, "It had to be registered quickly, and our company has a dedicated team for this, so we filed the registration first," adding, "Once an official in charge is assigned, of course we will hand it over."

Addressing criticism that he receives millions of won per month in business operation expenses despite stating he would work without pay, he clarified, "I did not know I was receiving it. I can simply return it, and I want to do that even more."

However, he added, "If I don't accept the business expenses, people will tell the next person, 'Jinyoung didn't take it, so why are you taking it?' and it will make it difficult for them to work."

(Photo: Yonhap News)