Transition committee, K-pop execs discuss support measures

The presidential transition committee for President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol met with executives of the country’s top K-pop agencies and industry experts to discuss a range of support measures for the K-pop industry.

Those who attended Monday’s closed-door meeting included Hybe CEO Park Ji-won, S.M. Entertainment co-CEO Tak Young-jun, JYP Entertainment CEO Jung Wook, MNH Entertainment CEO Lee Ju-seop and BarunsonWIP Entertainment Vice President Yun Heung-kwan.

The industry stakeholders opened up to the committee about the difficulties the K-pop industry is experiencing with the lingering COVID-19 pandemic, and the two sides also discussed ways to promote the K-pop industry further and a resumption of in-person performances.

Also discussed was government support for building infrastructures such as concert halls and K-pop museums to further promote the K-pop boom both at home and abroad, committee officials said.

An industry representative who attended the meeting told The Korea Herald Tuesday they demanded support for performance venues since many of them have been closed or had to operate at a limited capacity under the government’s stringent COVID-19 measures.

They could not have an in-depth discussion on the matter due to the limited time and as it was their first meeting, the source said. But the transition team seemed to have paid “close attention” to the industry’s opinions, he added.

Before the meeting with the K-pop industry leaders, the committee held a discussion with representatives from the performing arts sector on the same day. At the meeting attended by the leaders of several associations and experts, the two sides talked about ways to improve policies and laws that aim at regionally balanced development of cultures.

On Saturday, transition committee Chairman Ahn Cheol-soo visited the headquarters of Hybe, the K-pop powerhouse behind BTS, where he met with Bang Si-hyuk, the agency chairman.

At the meeting, they discussed ways to create a sustainable environment for artists amid the COVID-19 pandemic with the use of latest media technologies, including the metaverse platform, according to the transition committee.

By Jie Ye-eun (yeeun@heraldcorp.com)