Culture and Sports Committee warns Park Jin-young about U.S. trip personal schedule... "No violation of laws and regulations" [Star Issue]

*This content was translated by AI.

It was reported late that Park Jin-young, JYP Entertainment's representative producer who serves as Chairperson of the Culture and Cultural Exchange Committee Gong Dong-wi (Director), received criticism from the National Assembly for combining personal work schedules with official government business during a trip to the United States.

On the 2nd, the National Assembly's Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee held a plenary session and instructed the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism to issue a warning to Park Jin-young regarding his overseas trip, stating, "Clearly distinguish between official schedules and personal or affiliated company-related schedules when private committee members travel abroad on official business."

The official period for which Park Jin-yeong (Chairman)'s travel expenses were covered lasted five nights and six days from November 13 to 18 last year. The destination was New York and Los Angeles in the United States, where he handled large-scale K-culture festival 'Phenomenon'-related meetings as part of official duties. The issue arose after Park Jin-yeong (Chairman) extended his overseas stay to eight nights and eleven days by conducting personal work after completing official duties.

The support team responded, "All matters related to the execution of travel expenses and schedule adjustments for this trip were handled legally in accordance with relevant laws and regulations." They added, "For the latter part of the schedule, which was Park Jin-yeong (Chairman)'s personal itinerary, all costs including return flight tickets were borne by Mo Du-reul (Chairman) himself." The team further explained that since he is classified as a non-full-time official, there is no requirement to obtain prior separate approval for conducting personal schedules after completing official duties.

Regarding the background of the National Assembly's decision to issue a warning, the support team stated, "We understand this was done despite no violation of laws and regulations, with the intent to manage future similar tasks more strictly and transparently than legally permitted." They added, "We will manage all administrative and budget execution matters, including official business trips, even more strictly and transparently."

Park Jin-young has been jointly serving as Chairperson of the Culture and Cultural Exchange Committee Ryu Wi-won-hoe (Chairman) under the direct supervision of the President since September 2025, alongside Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Choi Hwi-young.

The Culture and Cultural Exchange Committee, established under the direct authority of the President, is an organization designed to establish a public-private collaboration system necessary for spreading Korean popular culture worldwide. It includes 26 private committee members, such as representatives from HYBE, SM Entertainment, and YG Entertainment.

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*This content was translated by AI.