President Lee Jae-myung expressed high expectations for Park Jin-young, founder and chief producer of JYP Entertainment, who was appointed as co-chairman of the Presidential Committee on Popular Culture Exchange.



During a press conference marking his first 100 days in office, held at the Blue House State Guesthouse on the 11th, President Lee commented on Park’s appointment:




“Developing Korea’s cultural capacity into an industry that creates livelihoods for our people is important, and Park Jin-young is an exceptionally talented planner in that regard.”




He continued,


“Fortunately, he agreed to take on the role of co-chairman. The Committee will mainly focus on the industrialization of culture and advancing Korean culture onto the global stage.”




President Lee added with confidence,


“I believe (Co-chairman Park Jin-young) will achieve quite a lot, and I have great expectations for him.”




Earlier, on the 9th, President Lee established the Presidential Committee on Popular Culture Exchange and appointed Choi Hwi-young, Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism, and Park Jin-young as co-chairmen.



On the same day, Park Jin-young shared his thoughts on social media:




“Taking on a government role is burdensome and concerning in many ways as someone working in the entertainment industry, so I gave it a lot of thought. But with K-pop facing such a special opportunity right now, I felt strongly that we must seize it — that’s why I decided to accept.”




He went on to say that his dream is for K-pop to be loved worldwide:




“While working in the field, I often wished there were more institutional supports. I will organize these ideas so that effective support can be provided, and I will work hard to create more opportunities for younger artists. I will do my best to help K-pop take another leap forward, not only promoting Korean culture but also becoming a platform where people around the world can better understand and connect with one another.”


Written by Mun Wan Sik
Translated by Lee So Yun