J.Y. Park: "Having My Sincerity Questioned Is the Hardest Part... I Didn't Know I Was Receiving 2 Million Won a Month"

[Financial News]  J.Y. Park, co-chair of the Committee on Popular Culture Exchange, directly addressed the controversy surrounding the exclusive Fanomenon trademark rights and the receipt of business expenses a day before appearing as a witness at the parliamentary audit of the Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee of the National Assembly.

On the 6th, J.Y. Park appeared on Seoul Broadcasting System (SBS)'s "Kim Tae-hyun's Political Show" and said, "Having my sincerity questioned is the hardest part."
J.Y. Park explained why he accepted the position of co-chair, saying, "Our company's guiding principle is 'not to get close to political circles,' so we do not engage in liaison with external institutions such as the government and the National Assembly. But I took on this role to help K-pop grow further and spread K-culture so that it can have a positive impact around the world."
He said, "Because public funds are involved, the procedures are difficult and complicated, and there are too many obstacles whenever we try to do something. Resolving this issue is taking unexpectedly a great deal of time and effort."
He continued, "If someone points out a problem, I can say, 'I'm sorry,' and fix it. If it is a misunderstanding, I can clear it up. But it is hardest to have my sincerity questioned with words like, 'You have some ulterior motive, don't you?'" He added, "That's why I said I would attend tomorrow's parliamentary audit."
He continued, "When I contacted the National Assembly and said, 'I will appear at the parliamentary audit,' they asked, 'Would you like to appear as a reference witness or as a witness?' I asked what the difference was, and they said that a reference witness does not take an oath and therefore cannot be charged with perjury, while a witness can be charged. So I said, 'In that case, I will appear on the understanding that I could be charged with perjury if I lie.'"
Earlier, Bae Hyun-jin of the People Power Party criticized JYP Entertainment for filing for the overseas Fanomenon trademark rights in its sole name. The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism (MCST) and JYP Entertainment each hold a 50 percent stake in the domestic Fanomenon trademark rights.
In response, the Committee on Popular Culture Exchange said in an explanatory statement on the 24th of last month, "JYP Entertainment initially filed for the trademark rights, and later transferred 50 percent of the rights to the MCST and converted them into a joint filing structure in order to establish the public-private cooperation structure that was the project's original purpose. The remaining stake held by JYP Entertainment will also be transferred in full to a dedicated entity to be established to carry out the main event in the future."
Regarding the issue, J.Y. Park said, "This project is a collaboration among JYP, SM Entertainment, YG and HYBE. In fact, these four companies have hardly ever been on completely good terms. The only one who has always gotten along with everyone is me. That's why they suggested we do it together, and that's how this came about."
He emphasized, "No one questioned my sincerity. If I held the trademark rights, who would cooperate? There should naturally be no reason to suspect me."
He added, "It costs 40 million won domestically and at least 600 million to 700 million won overseas. Anyone has to move quickly. We had already announced this incredible word, 'Fanomenon.' If someone else registers it, we will not be able to use it. Our company has a team that handles this, so we registered it first for now. We will transfer it once a person in charge is designated. Surely JYP would not retain the trademark rights after doing all this?"

J.Y. Park also addressed criticism that he had received about 2 million won in monthly business promotion expenses despite saying he would work without pay.
He said, "I am very sorry to say this, but I didn't know I was receiving it. Once I found out, I could return it by saying, 'I said I would do this without pay, so I won't take it.' In fact, I am more inclined to do that."
He continued, "Rather than risk this 2 million won causing a setback to the project's momentum while my sincerity is questioned, it would be better not to accept it in order to maintain the stance that I said I would work without pay. But looking at the global trend, I think public-private cooperation should become increasingly common. If I don't accept the business promotion expenses, the next person will be told, 'J.Y. Park didn't take it, so why are you?' I think that would make it difficult for my successor to work."
Meanwhile, at a plenary session last month on the 29th, the Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee adopted a list of 15 general witnesses and 17 reference witnesses for the parliamentary audit. J.Y. Park is scheduled to appear as a witness at the parliamentary audit of the MCST on the 7th.
[email protected] Kim Su-yeon Reporter